Crossovers
by Silwyth
Summary: How would you react if you got stuck in the world of YuGiOh wearing nothing but your pajamas and some ugly pink socks? Oh yeah, and don't forget the psycho maniac whose trying to suck your soul out... Anonymous reviews accepted!
1. Chapter 1

Note: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I would probably be Japanese and I would probably be rich. (I'd probably would have a life, too - but I prefer not to go there.) Well, hate to break it to you, but I have neither of those characteristics. In other words, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters, so don't sue me!

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 1: The Power of the Eye

My brother was ten years old, and he was obsessed with the TV show Yu-Gi-Oh. Every afternoon from 4:30 to 5:00 pm, Zack would plop down in front of the tube and watch as people, with every kind of hair style imaginable, dueled in a game called Duel Monsters.

I never watched it myself, saying it was too childish and boring. Though I am not so sure anymore. I think the real reason I never gave the show a chance was because my younger brother liked it so much. Besides, I already knew more about Yugi and his friends than most people who watched the show regularly. Zack would talk about nothing else. If a new Monster card was shown on Yu-Gi-Oh, Zack had to know what type it was, its special abilities, and its attack and defense strength. He would draw replicas on the computer and print them onto card stock, creating his own deck. He even made one for me so he could practice his moves. Of course, I stuck it in the bottom of my junk drawer when he had his head turned.

What amazed me most was how well he had gotten to know the characters. Yugi Moto, Seto Kaiba, Tristin Taylor - to him they were friends down the street. He knew every single one of them by heart and could quote them on a moments notice. He was so in love with that show that that was all he ever talked about, and it got very annoying very quickly.

I listened for months and then tried to forget it. Then one day Zack was invited to a birthday party early Saturday morning. He was thrilled until he realized the party would force him to miss the new Yu-Gi-Oh episode coming up that day. He begged me to watch it for him and tell him all about it when he got back. I reluctantly agreed after he had spent a better part of an hour bawling his eyes out.

So here I was, forcing myself awake at 7 o'clock in the morning on a Saturday of all days and watching the first Yu-Gi-Oh episode I had ever seen. I sat on the cold rug floor wearing nothing but some underwear, a pajama night shirt, and a pair of ugly pink socks my grandmother made for me for Christmas. Socks I wouldn't be caught dead in public - yes they were that bad. As I shivered and drew my legs up to my body for heat the introduction rolled, and the bright colors and loud music played. Suddenly there was Yugi Moto fighting in an awesome duel with one of his greatest opponents, Seto Kaiba. They danced across the screen skillfully summoning monsters of great power, blocking attacks with magic and trap cards, and forming brilliant strategies. I probably would have be mighty impressed, if I had not fallen asleep and started snoring.

That's when it happened. Static blared out of the speakers startling me out of my slumber. The TV suddenly went fuzzy. The characters on the screen went in and out of focus. I blinked my eyes in confusion and sat up.

"What in the blazes...?" I muttered, rubbing my eyes to see what was going on. I picked up the TV remote and changed the channel.

Nothing but static. I shivered, Why did I watch "The Ring" last night?

I flipped around the channels some more and got the same result. I checked the connection of the TV and the position of the ancient rabbit ear antennas my parents had had since high school. Either the TV was broken or the signal from the station was being interrupted or had shut down. I was not very heart broken; now I could go back to my soft, warm bed.

So, I turned off the TV.

At least I thought I did. The static still blazed at me. The batteries in the remote are probably dead, I thought.

I stood up and pressed the power button on the TV and the TV blinked out. I yawned as I climbed to my feet and headed for the stairs.

clink- cshrssss...

I spun around, the TV was back on. The static started jolting violently. Flashes of an image shown through. I couldn't make it out... The image froze on the screen. I gasped as I was face to face with a giant eye! A deep sinister laugh filled the room, goose bumps traveled up my spine. I could see my breath. Darkness was closing in. I could not escape! I could see something golden in the static; shifting and growing, crossing from the world of Duel Monsters and Pharaohs into the world of today.

I opened my mouth to scream but choked on the darkness, on the shadows. My throat was being crushed, my lungs burned for air.

The sound of glass shattering, and rough strange voices surrounded me. Their accents were so strange. Black figures shuffled in and out of the darkness. The sound of their swishing robes was added to the malevolent laughter. I did not think - I raced out of the room, flying through the fog of shadows that had surrounded me. Suddenly I went numb, I couldn't feel the burning of my throat nor the pain in my head. I began to panic as the darkness rolled in. But the darkness was so... comforting, I did not want to run. My mind slowed; sleep... just sleep, everything will be fine... I felt like I was being lifted, then I was being crushed - everything closed in, I was slowly being flattend, folded between the layers of paper... Terrible pain... Bright colors filled my eyes and I wanted to faint; anything to end it.

No! my mind screamed, Don't listen to it! Run! Get out, now!

Bright green light filled my eyes, the neon intensity blinding me.

I stumbled forward and ran my big toe into the metal table. Pain shot up into my leg, but it was a new pain. A clean pain, sharp and sudden. It cleared my mind and I stumbled for the door, found the knob and rushed out into the welcoming warmness of the night.

The voices turned from simple mutterings to furious shouts. I was too scared and struck dumb to look back and I did not stop running until my lungs burned and my heart felt like it would burst through my chest. I sunk to my knees, the dew covered grass soaking my legs and socks. The next thing I knew my head was on the ground and I had not the strength to get it up again.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I would probably be Japanese and I would probably be rich. (I'd probably would have a life, too - but I prefer not to go there.) Well, hate to break it to you, but I have neither of those characteristics. In other words, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters.

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 2: Dreaming of Egypt

When I opened my eyes I was standing on a barren landscape. Rolling dunes of sand were as far as the eye could see and the air was dry on my face. A vast plain covered with sand and gravel, with a mixture of sea shells, it appeared like the basin of an evaporated sea. In the distance I could hear a soft rumble. Storms of wind, sending vast serges of red sand clouds rose and rolled forward, burying every thing in its way. Despite the distance between us, I couldn't help but stand in awe. I could not remember how I had gotten there, but it did not seem to matter. I felt like I belonged, and I had not felt that way in a long time - not since Mom died... I looked down, I was wearing a long flowing gown that reached far past my ankles - the silken fabric brushed against my legs like flowing water. My hair reached down as far as my waist and fell down the middle of my back - stirring ever so slightly with the wind. It's rich dark color was like the raven's wing. My arms were held down by the weight of four golden arm bracelets - two on each arm. They glistened in the sunlight and glowed with a radiance that was not of this world. When I looked up a very lovely woman stood before me.

"I am Ishizu," she said as she bowed. Her murky green eyes searched my own. She touched her neck and I noticed between the folds of her cloth was a golden necklace with a strange eye. It looked so familiar. She continued, "I sensed your arrival, welcome young one."

"Who am I?" I asked. Nothing seemed to make sense.

Ishizu smiled softly and said, "You are Kamilah."

I frowned slightly, "No, I'm not. That's not my name."

The woman's smile warmed, "Perhaps not at this time - but soon. You will help the world defeat a great evil."

I looked around, obviously this woman was talking to someone else, but there was no one else.

"You can't mean ME," I said. The woman nodded.

Ishizu laughed and said, "In time you will learn, and then you must help the Pharaoh save the world! The future is still clouded - I see the duel, but I do not see the victor. While I pray the Pharaoh will win, I cannot say. But I do know this to be true. I know it in my heart as the sea knows all the secrets of the earth. You will decide if evil will reign over this earth. That is your fate."

"But..." I stuttered, "I'm just a girl! You can't expect me..."

"That is your destiny," said the woman in a positive voice, "I have seen it."

The wind began to blow and Ishizu stepped back, disappearing into the blowing sand.

"Wait! What are you talking about?" I called. She did not answer, but vanished.

The darkness took me once more.


	3. Chapter 3

Note: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I would probably be Japanese and I would probably be rich. (I'd probably would have a life, too - but I prefer not to go there.) Well, hate to break it to you, but I have neither of those characteristics. In other words, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters.

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 3: The Trunk

"Urgh..." I groaned, my head aching. I felt like I had been run over by a semi-truck, maybe even two. The sun now stood above me brightly, burning my cheeks. Sweat ran from under my hair and trickled between the shoulder blades of my back. I felt sticky and dirty, and then I remembered the fog and darkness.

I jumped to my feet, I had to get home to my step-father! Who knows what terrible fates the fog had dished out to him! He, no body, was safe in that house not with the fog and strange men. It may already be too late!

Running through the park I had collapsed in I jumped through the hedges. That was not one of my greatest moments. Clunk!

I bounced backwards and could feel a bump on my forehead forming. What kind of a stupid block-head would hide an iron-grate fence behind a hedge?

I rubbed my head, my ears were ringing.

It took me several minutes, but I managed to climb over the fence and venture out into the small town I had called home all my life, Red-Feather.

"Oh good heavens..." I stepped back in shock, my tiny close-knit town of 400 was now an industrial work of art. Buildings so huge they disappeared behind the clouds. Smog floated in and out of the buildings, giving it a hazy glow. I gulped, this was impossible!

A gruff voice shouted, "I found the kid!" I turned around, the men with the robes!

I ran into the city and ducked down an alley. I rushed behind a dumpster, my pink woolen socks slapping on the hard concrete. The men passed by. I heard one say: "The Master will not be pleased..."

I gasped in surprise. Black robes, weird voices, evil Masters? Zack had talked about these guys. They must be Rare Hunters!

Oh gosh, a Rare Hunter? I was being chased by a gang of Rare Hunters! I blinked, That is impossible. Rare Hunters are from a cartoon show for little kids, not real life people!

After several minutes, I gathered enough of my courage to venture out of the alley. The streets were surprisingly empty; none of the stores were open. The silence made me shutter.

I quickly decided to go to the police station. Even if they didn't believe me about the Rare Hunters, at least they could get me home safely. Hopefully they didn't think I was some sad case that had wandered out of the ward.

I dashed quickly from building to building, hiding in the doorways, checking for Rare Hunters. The sun pounded down on the city, and soon steam could be seen rising out of the sewers. Everyone was indoors, staying cool - but not me. I was running around in nothing but some socks, underwear, and a night shirt.

At last, the police station! I finally reached the door when...

"Over here!" "Don't let her get away!"

I looked at them with horror. I turned the knob on the police door, it was jammed! The Rare Hunters were coming closer! So close I could see the raw fury shinning out of their eyes... They looked like rabid dogs, only with a determined purpose.

I panicked. Jumping from the police station steps, my last hope for safety, I rushed down the block. I turned left, following the side walk and almost cried with relief. A car stood by the side of a department store. The trunk was open!

I dashed inside the trunk of the sleek black car and closed it as far as a small crack to peer out. No one could see me, but I could see them. I had heard about people getting locked in trunks and then dyeing from the heat and lack of thirst, and I had no wish for that to become my fate.

The Hunters dashed by and I sighed with relief. I started to open the trunk when I heard the door of the department store ring. The owners were coming!

I ducked down and prayed they would not find me.

"Yes, sir," said a stern voice.

As the trunk opened I opened my mouth to beg for mercy and explain - but the man chucked a large silver suitcase into the trunk, which hit me squarely on the nose, and then shut the hatch.

"Well," I mumbled through the pain as I clutched my nose, "This can't be good."


	4. Chapter 4

Note: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I would probably be Japanese and I would probably be rich. (I'd probably would have a life, too - but I prefer not to go there.) Well, hate to break it to you, but I have neither of those characteristics. In other words, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters.

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 4: The Boy with the Pointy Hair

The car bounded and bounced down the road. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness I found the suitcase which had been thrown at me.

I scooted it over, "Should I look inside?" Maybe it contained something that could help me escape.

Fingering the latches, I took a quick breath and snapped open the suitcase.

I was shocked and jerked back by the light that flooded the trunk. Whoa, it has a whole lighting system! The second surprise, however, made me frown. A Duel Monster card stared up at me, Obelisk the Tormentor, it stated simply at the top of the card. What was this card doing in here? I reached into the case to touch the card but I quickly pulled back my hand in shock as I felt sheer power run through my finger tips.

I examined my fingers. They still tingled, but other than that I couldn't see, or sense, anything wrong. I didn't know much about the game of Duel Monsters, but I knew enough to recognize an insanely powerful card when I saw one.

I reached for it again and was slightly puzzled when I wasn't shocked a second time. Picking it out of the velvet lining, I could still feel a warm hum against my finger tips. Why could I feel raw, uncontrollable power within it? This card could be used to do great things, or great evils. The turn of my thoughts startled me and I pushed them aside.

I let out a scream as the car screeched to a stop, throwing me into the back of the trunk. I froze, had they heard me?

Quickly I threw the card back into the suitcase and shut the lid. The lights went out and once again I was in total darkness. I listened for the sound of the owners, but I could hear nothing but my own breathing. When nothing happened I let out a sigh of relief, and then turned to my new injury.

I couldn't help but wince as I rubbed the back of my head.

With a startling beep, the trunk popped open. This was my chance!

I rolled out of the trunk, tripped on my night gown, and fell on the concrete. Ouch.

Pain jolted though me, but I ran and jumped into another set of hedges nearby. As I crouched I felt blood ooze from my hands and knees. My skin was horribly scraped and they burned from the embedded dirt.

I heard footsteps coming towards me. As the two men walked past me I could hear my loud heartbeat. But they continued walking; they had never saw me. Finally I was safe. I could get out of this drive way and find real help.

I dashed down the drive way and rushed out the large gate just as it closed. I was startled to find statues of two menacing dragons, one on each side of the entrance, guarding the mansion sized building.

I thought to myself, "Dragons? I've heard of sphinxes, but this is kind of over doing it..." I shook my head in disbelief. Some people lived in a world of their own.

Running down the side walk I came upon a very short man. He swept his matt with a steady rhythm and paused when I came up to him. With an orange cap tipped to one side on his head, I was stunned by his oddly colored purple eyes almost hidden beneath his bushy brows. About 5'1" in heigh, the stout old man had spiky gray hair, like lightning bolts, under his hat. Maybe it was because I was bleeding, or maybe it was because I was wearing nothing but pajamas, but the old man gasped.

"You are injured!" he exclaimed, worried. He looked me over and shouted, "You poor thing! You cannot be running around like that! Come in and I will get you some clothes."

His friendly manner and friendly smile made me trust him. I was too tall for any of the clothes in the house, so he sat me on the couch, wrapped me in a blanket and treated my cuts.

"I am Solomon Moto, by the way," he added as he applied a disinfectant to my hands. It stung like crazy.

"Thanks for everything you've done for me," I said. I knew how much easier it was to ignore people in need rather than helping them.

Solomon Moto was one of those rare kindred spirits you found just when you needed them.

I heard the front door swing open. Solomon warned me quickly, "That is my grandson."

"Grandson?" I echoed weakly.

"Grandpa?" a voice came from the front of the shop. Even though it was asking a question, it sounded friendly. A strange boy walked into the room and I couldn't help staring.

His hair was three different vibrant colors, yellow, red and black, and stood on end like he had been permanently electrocuted. Not only that, he had a giant upside-down pyramid hanging around his neck. It looked as if it was solid gold, and had to weight at least ten pounds.

"Hi," he said when he saw me, not at all frazzled or surprised. As he walked closer, the lamplight fully revealed his face.

Pointy hair, giant golden necklace, always friendly - Oh my gosh!

"You're Yu-Gi-Oh!"

"Umm... Actually it's just Yugi," Yugi said pleasantly.


	5. Chapter 5

Note: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I would probably be Japanese and I would probably be rich. (I'd probably would have a life, too - but I prefer not to go there.) Well, hate to break it to you, but I have neither of those characteristics. In other words, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters.

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 5: What does he want with ME?

I described in detail what had happened to Yugi Moto. Nodding here and there, his eyes widened as I talked about the men in robes, then narrowed as I spoke of my daring escape and dream. I told him everything, but one thing. For some reason I didn't want to discuss Obelisk. Just thinking about its power made me shiver.

"Marik," Yugi breathed out with a sigh. That explains a lot, I thought. This Marik guy was in control of the Rare Hunter dudes.

"Let me guess, he wants to take over the world," I said. Yugi sighed, "I wish it wasn't true."

"If he wants to take over the world," I began slowly, "Why is he after me?"

No one answered. Yugi suddenly got a strange look on his face and his eyes got all misty. I gasped softly, was he in contact with the Spirit of the Puzzle? Maybe now I'd get some answers.

Yugi said slowly, "Is it possible that you're family is from Egypt?"

I blinked with surprise. I wasn't really what you'd call an Egyptian, strawberry blonde with murky green eyes. Plus, I was fairly tall for a girl of 16. From what I knew I was mostly Irish!

"I don't think so... Maybe on my mother's side, but I couldn't be sure," I said. Now that I thought about it, where WAS my mother from? Now I felt like a real idiot - I don't know anything, not even about my own parents!

"Could you call her on a cell phone?" Mr. Moto asked gently. I felt a stab of pain, as I always did when ever someone mentioned my mother.

"No," I shook my head sadly, "She disappeared nine years ago."

Yugi blinked, "So she's... dead?"

"I don't know," I said crossly, "She 'disappeared', we don't know what happened to her!"

As soon as I said it I felt bad for yelling in Yugi's face. He was trying to help, but even so... he was still rubbing salt into old wounds. Wounds that, even in nine years, had never properly healed.

I thought hard, trying to think of anything to relieve the awkward silence that had quickly descended after my out burst.

"Good heavens!" I gasped, "Now that I think about it, she disappeared in Egypt!"

"Perhaps you are destined to hold a Millennium Item," Yugi said thoughtfully, then he got the misty look all over his face again. He blinked, "Oh - That's right, Marik isn't interested in the Millennium Items."

I thought over the facts. My mother disappeared in Egypt, why no one can say. I can probably assume that therefore she was Egyptian and so am I, even if its only a drop of Egyptian blood. Marik has the Millennium Rod and tried to use his Rare Hunters to capture me. But why? What was his motive? From what Zack had told me all Marik wanted were the Three Egyptian God Cards and the power of the Pharaoh. Well - I don't have an Egyptian God Card, and I certainly don't know anything about the Power of the Pharaoh...

"Are you hungry?" Yugi suddenly asked, startling me out of my thoughts. I blinked, "Oh... Um, yeah. Sure."

"I'll go get some food," Mr. Moto rose from the couch. Yugi rose also, studying me intently, "You look about Téa's size, I'll go call and ask if she can bring over some clothes." Both rushed off to complete their tasks before I had time to thank them.

Soon Yugi reappeared and Téa knocked on the door five minutes later with a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. She greeted Yugi warmly and then turned to me with a mixture of concern and worry. I must have been quite a sight in my filthy pajamas.

In the guest room Téa, after throwing Yugi out, looked me up and down with warm blue eyes. She was a very pretty girl with short chocolate hair. Each step was graceful, like a dancer. The tall young woman dumped the duffle bag on the bed and began searching through it. I couldn't help thinking she must be used to strange things happening. Like me, for example. According to what I remembered, she was one of Yugi's best friends. Friendship and loyalty were especially important to her.

Téa pulled a handful of clothes out of her bag. She said as she held a pair of pants to my waist, "I wasn't sure of your size, so I brought some extra clothes that I wore several years ago. But it doesn't look like we'll be needing them, these should be a perfect fit."

I thanked her profusely and threw on her jeans. Téa said as she handed me a shirt, "So Marik is after you too?"

She added, "Yugi didn't really say anything over the phone."

I frowned, "Yeah - I guess he is after me."

Téa sighed, "That's so weird though, Marik's only attacked people that are close to Yugi - to try to get the Power of the Pharaoh."

"Well," I said, "He's definitely confused! I just met Yugi an hour ago!"

Téa shrugged, "I know, but I can't help thinking that Marik has a plan up his sleeve - and knowing Marik, it's not a plan you want to be any part of."

Not knowing what to say to that I ventured out on a limb, "So, the Power of the Pharaoh resides in Yugi's gold puzzle, along with the Spirit. Right?"

Téa nodded as she handed me some socks, "Yeah - Yami was the Pharaoh that first had to face the great evil."

I blinked, "Then what's all the fuss about? With Yami on his side, Yugi already has the Power of the Pharaoh. Marik doesn't stand a chance."

"If the Spirit remembered anything about his past," Téa said. She shrugged, "Both of them are just as clueless as we are when it comes to figuring out the Millennium Puzzle. No matter how many pieces we put together we're always missing one."

I shrugged, "Maybe it isn't a 'piece' you're missing."

"Then what?" Téa asked helplessly. I had no answer to give, so I said nothing.

The two of us walked back into the living room and sat on the couch. Yugi sat in one of the stuffed armchairs, and the three of us waited for Mr. Moto to appear with food.

"I should go check on Grandpa," Yugi said after a few minutes had passed. He stood and then disappeared into the kitchen. Téa turned to me, "I think you're right."

"Huh?"

Her face was all lit up, "We aren't missing just any ordinary piece of the puzzle. The Puzzle's been finished already, all we've needed was the right PERSON who could understand it! That's why Marik attacked you and sent his Rare Hunters! YOU'RE the key to unlocking the Powers of the Millennium Puzzle!"

I gasped, had Téa lost her mind?

Suddenly, "Gahhhhh! Grandpa!"

"Oh my!" Mr. Moto distinct voice could be heard from the kitchen. The fire alarm went off, sending a sharp wailing shriek into the house. We both jumped to our feet and rushed towards the kitchen. Téa held her ears, "What's going on?"

"Aaaaaah!" We ducked as Mr. Moto dashed out of the kitchen holding a cookie sheet - with flaming cookie dough... Yugi screamed behind him, both being trailed by billows of smoke. They dashed out the backdoor and slammed it behind them.

"I don't even WANT to know," I said. Téa just stood in shock, "Was it just me or was Yugi's hair DANCING?"

"Uh... I think it was on fire," I said, scratching my head. Téa gasped and ran for the door, "Yugi!"

I ran after her, "Is this considered normal?"


	6. Chapter 6

Note: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I would probably be Japanese and I would probably be rich. (I'd probably would have a life, too - but I prefer not to go there.) Well, hate to break it to you, but I have neither of those characteristics. In other words, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters.

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 6: I Hate to Break it to You...

_Crunch!_ My eyes were watering, but even so I blurted out, "Yeah Mr. Moto, these cookies are great."

_Crack!_ "Yeah," Téa said gnawing on a particularly blackened one, "They're certainly crispy..."

Mr. Moto glowed with pleasure, "Do you really think so? It's a recipe I made up during one of archaeological digs in Egypt. It was perfect there because the mix requires no water at all! I've been waiting for a special occasion to make some more."

"Oh really," I said _CRACK!_ "You didn't need to go to all that work just for me..." _CRUNCH!_

"Oh," Mr. Moto raised a hand, "It was no trouble at all – anytime."

-

"Do you really think I can solve the mystery of the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi?" I asked a few moments later back in Yugi's room. Yugi frowned, "I'm not really the one to ask. It's Yami you should be talking to."

"I guess, but I'm not sure... Whoa!" I gasped and fell into his desk chair. One moment Yugi was standing in front of me, but now he had been replaced with the wiser, more confident version of himself. Yami.

What do you say to a 5,000 year old Pharaoh?

"So, you must be Yami," I said. Yami dipped his head in greeting, "And you are the girl Marik is attempting to capture."

I nodded, "As far as I know. Actually I'm not even sure if it was Marik." I continued on hopefully. "It was probably just a bunch of robbers, or... something."

"I doubt it," Yami said, crushing my hopes, "Your description is pretty accurate of a Rare Hunter attack."

I didn't say anything and finally Yami broke the silence.

"And you are the girl that can unlock my power, yes?"

"Well - that's Téa's theory," I started, "It's the only thing that makes sense, but I don't know..."

"Here," Yami said as he walked over and sat on Yugi's bed, "I'll tell you all I remember, maybe that will - Yieee!" The Pharaoh practically fell off the bed.

I jumped to my feet, "What's wrong?" Could Yami sense that Marik was near? I was filled with fear and determination all at the same time. No way was some crazy freak going to capture me!

Yami rushed over to the mirror, "What happened to my HAIR!"

"Oh that," I chuckled slightly, "It's kind of a funny story now that you mention it..."

"Never mind," the Pharaoh said, absently playing with the tuffs, "If I tell you my memories perhaps you may remember what to do -"

"I don't see how that could help, Yami," I tapped my head, "There's nothing TO remember. I just met you today!"

"Could you at least try?" Yami asked, "I have to defeat Marik before his madness consumes the entire planet!" I frowned slightly, because this sounded familiar. I had a faint memory of myself standing upon the sand of time and speaking to a woman who knew more than any mortal should. Something about evil reigning over the earth - but this was nonsense.

"You're kidding me, right?" I snorted. Yami blinked.

"What?"

"Well, you're forgetting a few things, Pharaoh," I said, I counted off my fingers, "The US Army, the armies of everyone else, technology, medical advancements, the police..."

"What are police?" Yami asked, confused. I blinked, "You don't know what police are? They're the law enforcement - it's not like you and Marik are the only people who know how to wage battle. I mean - come on, Yami! A few little cards against a nuclear war-head? You do the math. Just because this dueling holographic stuff is 'all that' to you doesn't make it so everywhere else in the world. Please, I know horror books that pack more of a wallop than that! This planet knows how to fight back Yami. Okay, so maybe Marik has a few drooling zombies - so what? He's nothing compared to Hitler or Osama Bin Laden!"

Yami said, "Yes, but Marik's power..."

"WHAT power?" I demanded, "He's nothing but some crazy man that runs around with a golden stick!" That can transport people through TVs. But I didn't say this out loud.

"The Millennium Rod contains a great deal of power, power you've experienced," the Pharaoh said sharply, you could tell his blood was starting to boil. What happened if you made Yami mad? I didn't know - and I didn't care.

"Okay," I sighed, "Yes, he has SOME power - but the government could take it away in a snap! From what Zack has told me only the Millennium Ring can make Duel Monsters real - just turn Marik into the local psycho ward."

"Psycho ward?" Yami asked. I sighed, "Ask Yugi about it..."

"Who's Zack?" Yami demanded. I blinked, had I brought him into the conversation? I hadn't meant to - dang! What was I going to say?

"Um... Is Yugi listening to our conversation?" I asked softly. Yami frowned, "No, but I could..."

"No!" I said quickly, "I don't want to start a panic - you're 5,000 years old, nothing should surprise you."

I took a deep breath, "Zack is my little brother - "

"What's so surprising about that?" Yami asked. I rolled my eyes, "You didn't let me finish. You see, Zack is a Yu-Gi-Oh fan. Maniac, you could call him..."

"I'm pretty sure Yugi has a few fans," the Pharaoh said with a smile, "He was Champion at Duelist Kingdom - I'm sure some people are even fans of WEEVIL..."

"No, you've misunderstood," I said, "Yu-Gi-Oh is the name of a cartoon show aired on the Saturday Morning Cartoons on the Channel WB. It's not real - it's Japanese Anime, it's a fantasy world created by a person who is trying to tell a story. It's entertainment." What would Yami say to that?

"Oh," Yami said, "Maybe you could show it to me someday."

He doesn't know- does a Cartoon know it's a Cartoon? Does being in a Cartoon make ME a Cartoon? What had I gotten myself into? Eeek!

"I can't show it to you."

"Why?"

"'Cause we're in it - This is Yu-Gi-Oh! You're the Spirit of the Puzzle trying to find his past, Yugi's the innocent Chosen One who carries you around his neck - you're characters in a TV program! You're a Cartoon! Yami, you're like Bugs Bunny - only you don't eat carrots!"

"No, you're mistaken..."

"Marik came out of my own TV screen! The next thing I knew I was here! I'm stuck in a Cartoon show! You're a Cartoon!"

"I am not a Cartoon!" The Pharaoh shouted.

"You're a 2-Dimensional object drawn on paper - admit it!" I shouted back.

"I am not a 2-Dimensional object!"

Téa peeked her head in the door, "Uh... is everything okay in here?"

"No!" I shouted.

"Yes!" Yami shouted.

"I think I hear Mr. Moto calling me," Téa replied. She quickly shut the door. I sat on Yugi's bed and held my head in my hands. I had made a total mess of things... Why had I opened my mouth?

I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw Yami had sat down next to me. He said, once again calm, "I shall tell you all I remember - and we shall start from there."

"But you're a 2-Dimensional object..." I said weakly. The Pharaoh smiled slightly, then said, "Perhaps, but I am also a person who needs your help. We all need your help. The fate of the world rests on our shoulders."

"Right - no pressure," I sat up, "I don't think it will do anything..."

Yami sent me a glare.

I straightened my back, "But I can try."


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, this is my last disclaimer.  
**I DON'T OWN YU-GI-OH!**

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 7: Getting it Together

Yami's recounting of the past did nothing but give me a headache. Perhaps I was not the one to help find the Power of the Pharaoh - just listening to him literally put me to sleep!

I was sort of wary about going outside ever since the crazy Rare Hunters had attacked me. But even so, the next day I went with The Pharaoh and Téa to watch the start of the tournament. Yami had commented it looked like Duelist Kingdom all over again. I replied, "Uh, what was that?"

Téa looked at me in shock as Yami explained to me how he was invited to a contest by Pegasus, the inventor of Duel Monsters.

"Pegasus?" I laughed, "Did he have a side-kick named Hercules?"

Yami and Téa blinked. I muttered, "Nevermind."- I paused - "Wait, I thought Duel Monsters was created by the ancient Egyptians over 5,000 years ago?"

But the two didn't have a chance to answer, because just then a young woman with way to much blonde hair rushed over to us. "Yugi, Téa!" she exclaimed, "I know you missed me."

"Mai!" Téa gasped as Mai wrapped her in a giant hug. I blinked, so this had to be Mai Valentine!

Mai eyed me, "And who do we have here?

I said quickly, "Elaine - I'm just visiting and decided to watch the tournament. I met Yugi and Téa a couple of days ago." I wondered if I should tell Mai about my Marik dilemma. I didn't want it going everywhere, but another pair of eyes would be useful. She _was_ one of Yugi's friends, after all.

I was too late, however, the Pharaoh and Mai were talking. Téa watched the passing duelists with interest.

"Do you have any idea who's hosting the tournament?" Yami asked Mai. I frowned slightly, they didn't already know?

"Not really. Everyone I talked to got an anonymous invitation," Mai shrugged. "But there is a buzz going around that it's someone with a lot of cash and an obnoxious attitude."

Yami didn't have a chance to respond, because at that moment all the screens around the city went blank and were then replaced with a face of a man. A very good looking man.

Mai chuckled, "Speak of the devil..."

"Hello, duelists. Welcome to the town of Domino," the man said. "But more importantly, welcome to my tournament."

"_His_ tournament?" I blinked. Talk about an ego problem.

"That's Seto Kaiba," Téa whispered.

When I looked at her blankly she continued, "You know. President of KaibaCorps? Holographic technology? He's one of the richest men in the world."

Without warning, a strong wind sprang up, kicking dirt and dust into our faces. Yami held up his hand to protect his eyes and Téa was almost thrown off her feet, the breeze was so strong. I cried out, most in annoyance, as I was sand blasted. When the dust finally cleared, Seto Kaiba could be seen clearly hanging half-way out of a helicopter.

"Don't forget to register and pick up your duel disks," he called over the roaring wind, "Because, exactly one week from today, the Battle City tournament begins!"

"You're on, Kaiba," the Pharaoh said. For one moment, it seemed their eyes locked. Then Kaiba and his helicopter flew off, sending another gust of dirt our way.

"I'll never get this out of my hair!" Mai grumbled.

After brushing ourselves off, Yugi, Téa, Mai and myself wandered the streets, looking for the rest of Yugi's friends. I still hadn't met the famous Joey Wheeler, and wondered what to expect. As we moved in and out of the crowds, Mai pointed out Rex Raptor and several other freaks to avoid, like the sniveling Weevil. There was also a half naked man prancing around who smelled strongly of fish and a bunch of short weirdoes in pink that looked like they were wearing green muffins on their heads.

And I thought U.S. fashions were strange! Mai couldn't help pointing out that I was no better wearing Téa's clothing, but no sooner than we had started talking Mai and her hair left to find a Sign-Up station. The remaining three of us walked to find the rest of the Friends.

Half the time I'm confused which is Yugi and which is The Pharaoh. Was it really Yugi that won Duelist Kingdom, or Yami? Was it Yami who dueled for Yugi? And why was it only Téa and myself seem to notice his transformations?

Maybe I should have listened more carefully to Zack, I thought. 

When we finally found them, I was relieved to see both Joey and Tristan were normal looking people. As we walked towards the nearest Sign-Up station, Joey pounded me with questions about Marik. None of them I could answer.

"It was early Saturday morning and my brother had made me promise to watch... er - a show for him, since he was at a birthday party..." I told them the whole story again. I finished, "When I managed to get out of the trunk the whole place was crawling with dragon statues. Someone has a serious crush on mythical creatures."

Joey frowned, "I bet you anything those were Blue Eyes White Dragons."

"Hey, I know what those are!" I said, proud of myself for actually reconizing something. "But - wait! Don't they all belong to..."

"Mr. Moneybags?" Joey scoffed, "Yeah, they're all Kaiba's."

"That means you got a trip in Kaiba's personal limo!" Tristin gasped, "Was it a smooth ride?"

Joey glared at his friend. I continued, "Then I ran into Yugi and Mr. Moto. I have no idea why Marik is after me. We suspect my mother is Egyptian, but we can't really tie that to anything."

"Well don't you worry!" Joey exclaimed, he grabbed me and went into a heroic pose, "Now that Joey Wheeler's on the case we'll find out what Mr. Bad-Hair-Day is up to!"

"Joey - you're choking me!"

"Oops! Sorry!" Joey let go and I took a deep gasping breath of oxygen filled air. I noticed out of the corner of my eye Yugi had transformed into the Pharaoh.

"I don't even know if they WERE part of Marik's little band of followers," I protested. I desperately didn't want Marik to be after me. I just wanted to figure out how I got here, how to get back, and then go home!

Joey paused, "You said the guys had funny accents. Did it sound like two people talking at once?"

"No..." I frowned, "I don't know! That wasn't exactly the most important thing on my mind at the moment!"

"You said you saw a giant eye, right?" Joey went on. I nodded slowly, "Yes..."

"And that everything was dark like shadows, right?"

"Alright, alright," I gave up, "I guess I get your point."

"Don't worry," Yami said in a much deeper, confident voice, "We'll get to the bottom of this together."

"Yeah," Joey said, clenching his fist, "I made a promise to Yugi that I'd help him kick Marik's butt!"

I said plainly, "Well that's very nice and all, but talking won't get anything done."

Joey folded his arms, "Hey - watch the master at work! I made a promise to a friend, and I always keep my promises!"

We walked down the block until we reached the office. Maybe I should join the tournament, I thought. It would be cool to duel along side Yugi Moto.

Plus, I thought more darkly, Marik would be in that tournament too. I needed to get back home. And seeing as he was the one who brought me here, he could also send me back! The only thing I was worried about were his Rare Hunters. I had lost them by hiding in the trunk of Kaiba's car. No doubt they were still looking for me, and no doubt they'd also be in the tournament.

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked, watching my face. I shook my head, "Nothing."

We pushed open the door of a small office. It was a simple one room with a large counter with a computer. A tall man looked at the computer screen, mumbling softly to himself.

"We'd like to sign up for the Battle City Tournament, please," Yugi said over the counter.

"Name?" the man said. He wore sun glasses and a bandanna - an interesting choice of clothing considering he worked indoors.

"Yugi Moto."

"Ahhh," The man said after typing it onto the computer, "You have five starts - you qualify."

Then another conversation ensued explaining how Kaiba's technology knew everything about them and yadda-yadda. I didn't listen, I was too busy bouncing from foot to foot.

"I'm Joey Wheeler," Joey finally said, throwing out his chest, "Perhaps you've heard of me, I placed second in the Duelist Kingdom Finals."

The man looked at Joey from over his sunglasses, obviously thinking he was out of his mind. He said, "I'm sorry, but you only have one star - you don't qualify."

Joey's eyes threatened to pop out of his head, "WHAT? EGH! KAIBA! YOU DIRTY CHEATING SNAKE! YOU RIGGED THAT...!"

Tristin grabbed him before he could jump the check-in man. I shouted, "Joey, calm down! It's not worth it!"

It took us a long while to calm Joey down. Then the man said, "Wait a minute, it appears it was just a computer malfunction - you have four stars."

"Huh?" Joey said, "Come to papa! Let me see those beautiful stars! I knew it was just a computer glitch - that's how I was able to keep my cool."

"Right..." I said, rolling my eyes. The man was about to shut down the computer when I piped up, "Wait! I'd like to enter too!"

If I could beat Marik in a duel, he would HAVE to send me back.

"I thought you were just going to watch?" Téa asked. The Friends eyed me. Yugi blinked, "I didn't know you dueled."

"Yeah," I said brightly, then I mumbled under my breath, "Neither did I..."

"Name?" the man asked. I stated, "Elaine Murphy."

Johnson typed in the girl's name and blinked. She wasn't even IN the listings. Probably had never picked up a deck in her life. Good grief, he thought, how did she expect to get into this?

**Let her in**

Master?> Johnson thought, But she is useless!>

**Let her in, give her a record. MAKE SURE SHE'S IN THOSE FINALS!**

The last command blasted so hard into his head Johnson almost winced.

Yes Master Marik, I will do as you command.>

I frowned, he was certainly taking a long time to find those records. Wait, I thought, Did I even have records?

"Oh yes - Miss Murphy, you also have four stars," the man said.

"Whoa!" Joey said, "You never told us you were a master duelist!"

I blushed with pleasure. Maybe here in the Yu-Gi-Oh World I had the knowledge of a Yu-Gi-Oh character. It was a long shot, but it was all I had to work with.

The man, instead of grabbing one of the duel disks off the shelf, reached under his desk and presented me with mine. I beamed with pleasure as I accepted it and seriously considered going into a victory dance. This isn't a game, I told myself sternly. I have to get back home to the real world, and to do that I had to find Marik and kick his butt!

Because if I don't, I shuttered slightly, I would be stuck in Yu-Gi-Oh for a very long time...

?  
Hey people! Silwyth here!  
Only one thing for me to say... _Please Review_!  
And if you DON'T review, I'll personally force feed you OREO-Covered-Steak!  
?  



	8. Chapter 8

Note: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I would probably be Japanese and I would probably be rich. (I'd probably would have a life, too - but I prefer not to go there.) Well, hate to break it to you, but I have neither of those characteristics. In other words, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters.

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 8: Learning the Ropes

Yugi and Joey were already enjoying their dueling disks. Joey pranced around like a show horse, proudly showing any random passing pedestrian the dueling disk on his arm. I, however, wanted to save my opening for private in the guest room Mr. Moto had set up for me.

"Well," Joey said happily, "I've got to go, Serenity's getting her eye surgery and I promised I would be at the hospital for her. And we all know Joey keep's his promises!" I paused, then remebered one of Zack's Yu-Gi-Oh lessons. The whole reason Joey had gone to Duelist Kingdom was to get enough money of his younger sister's eyes surgery. Without it, she would go blind.

Tristin said, trying very hard to look innocent, "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you...?"

Joey looked very hard at his friend while the rest of us giggled. Téa said, "Actually I've got to be heading home, it's getting late. Bye!"

Slowly the rest of the Friends left and it was just Yugi and I.

"Do you think I have a chance?" I asked him.

Yugi thought for a moment, "If you believe in the Heart of the Cards, anything is possible."

I wisely did not say anything. My brother had told me about Yugi's beliefs, but I usually mocked him. When we played ping-pong I'd shout, "Oh! Believe in the Heart of the Pong! Believeeeeeeee!" It would drive my brother mad and was hilarious, but this didn't seem like the time to point that out to Yugi.

Suddenly a wind started up. I felt something hit my foot.

It was a Duel Monster card.

I picked it up - no one was running after it. Were there such things as stray Monsters?

"What's that?" Yugi asked. I blinked, "The wind must have blown it - where do you..."

"You should keep it," Yugi said firmly.

I didn't know what to say to that, so I said nothing. The card said in bright gold letters, Wingweaver. It had an attack strength of 2750. I held the card tenderly, as if it could break with the slightest jolt.

Once we entered Yugi's house I went upstairs and opened my duel disk. Ten semi-clear cards fell out. I blinked in surprise, what are these? Didn't Yugi and Joey just have ONE? I suddenly remembered my Yu-Gi-Oh trivia. Locator cards - one needed six to enter the finals, at least they did on the TV show. Had the check-in man given me too many locator cards by mistake? Did he WANT me to get into the finals? And why ten? I gasped softly - what if my being here effected the out come of the show. Usually the introduction of new characters meant plot changes and new challenges. Zack would kill me if I messed up Yu-Gi-Oh! Why couldn't I be sent somewhere safe - like Reading Rainbow or something!

So, I had a one way ticket into the finals. I was already a contestant before the tournament began!

Elaine, I told myself, this is not fair. You have to work your way up! How do you expect to get strong enough to beat Marik if you don't duel? I decided I would forget the extra locator cards and duel like any self respecting duelist would. But, I thought as I slipped the extras into my back pocket, it wouldn't be so bad to have a back up plan - just in case.

The next morning I knocked softly on Yugi's door.

"Whaa?" his voice was slurred, he was still half asleep. I opened the door slightly, "Hey Yugi - could I talk to Yami for a second?"

Suddenly Yugi was fully awake. He looked at me carefully and nodded, "Yeah, sure Elaine. Let me get dressed first. I'll meet you in the family room."

I sat on the couch and avoided all Mr. Moto's attempt to feed me black toast. Somehow his reassuring statement of, 'Come on, all it needs is butter!' didn't help at all.

"You wish to speak with me?" the Pharaoh asked. I jumped - it was a bit creepy seeing the cute little Yugi turn into the darker Yami. I nodded, "Yeah..."

The Pharaoh stared at me and I paused.

"Well, um... This is going to sound a bit strange, but, ah..." I began awkwardly. Yami blinked, "Go on."

"Could you teach me how to duel?" I blurted out.

"Haha!" I smiled triumphantly after our quick duel. "I kicked your butt!" This was totally fun! Why hadn't Zack taught me this earlier?

"Yes," Yami said darkly, "You win."

"You let me win!" I accused, feeling slightly let down. Yami had to be hard on me if I was ever to have a chance. Yami said, "Actually you have natural talent - I would never have thought this was your first duel."

"But you still LET me win," I insisted. The Pharaoh smiled slightly and I shoved his discard pile into his hands, "Let's play again! Only this time don't go easy on me - I'll never learn like that."

There were several "rematches", and Yami won every one. Holy Twinkies, he's good, I thought. But I felt the occasional jolt of triumph run through my blood as I caught Yami in a few tough corners.

We ended the lesson when Mr. Moto poked his head in said we must be famished and attempted to force feed us more burnt cookies.

Maybe I do have a chance at this tournament, I thought. At least, I _hope_ I have a chance at this tournament.

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
Hey people, I'm writing a new fanfic called The Lost Letters of Gandalf. Unless you are allergic to insanity or highly humorous material, I suggest you check it out!  
?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?


	9. Chapter 9

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 9: Viper and the Mime

Time seemed to speed up as the opening date of the tournament drew nearer. Mai was still trying to get dirt out of her hair, Joey had lost his Red Eyes Black Dragon and Yami was dueling with me in secret. Everything was about as perfect as it could get in a land called Yu-Gi-Oh.

I don't know why I didn't tell the rest of my new friends that I had never really dueled before, or why I had asked the Pharaoh to keep our little duel silent. I guess I didn't want to lose their respect.

On the bright side I had made several additions to my deck by getting more booster packs. I repaid Mr. Moto by helping him with customers and taking care of the shop. And Mr. Moto needed all the help he could get. Lots of duelists were coming in to make a few last adjustments to their decks for the up coming tournament.

I can't believe I feel ready for this, I thought, I'm so excited - I can't wait! The only thing I don't like is the fact that the loser has to give up their rarest card.

The next thing I knew the tournament had started. I watched as Kaiba's big melon appeared on the screens all over Domino City. I had come with Yugi and Joey, but now we were rivals. If I didn't want to duel them, I would have to find duelists on my own. While I would have preferred using the Pharaoh as a counselor during my duels, I knew I could never ask that of him. He was trying to save the world - I was just trying to get home.

"See ya!" I shouted, "Meet you at the top."

Yugi changed swiftly into Yami, "Good luck, Elaine - be careful and don't get in over your head."

Then he was Yugi again, "Bye!" I watched as he was approached by a Rare Hunter. I shivered, the cloaked man looked so much like the men that had attacked me. I froze, what if he WAS one of the Rare Hunters that attacked me? I started to shout a warning to Yugi, but I stopped as I saw Yugi transform smoothly into the Pharaoh. Yami could take care of himself - most of the time, anyway.

As I wandered I decided my best bet was to duel a normal looking kid. I ran into a crowd and picked a fellow who was twice my height and twice my age. I shouted, "You, you're dueling with me!" Okay maybe not so normal...

-

"Face my wrath! Maw Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!" I winced as the duelist named Viper laughed evilly, AGAIN. I swear if he laughs one more time I'll bash his head in, I thought furiously. My head was throbbing. Viper was a pretty good duelist, he could have had Joey running around in circles... but seriously, that laughing was really getting on my nerves.

"Giltia the Dark Knight!" he cried, "Attack her Gyakutenno Megami! Maw Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!" His monster jumped across the field and reduced mine to ashes.

I braced myself as the resulting explosion blew my Fairy Monster out of the sky. I had only lost 50 LP from that attack, but now I was down to a mere 850 LP! Though, I had to admit, Viper was behind by a long shot. He only had 400 LPs to speak of.

I drew a card - please be a good one! I really only had a starter deck to work with, and this Viper fellow had cards I had never seen! I closed my eyes and said to myself, feeling rather foolish, 'Please work, Heart of the Cards, and I won't ever mock you aloud again!'

"You'll never win! Maw Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!" Viper shouted. I closed my eyes, please just give me a card that will shut him up. Please, I can't stand his stupid laughing any more. It's driving me mad!

I looked at what I had drawn. I couldn't help it, I cried, "Yes!"

Viper blinked and I announced with a large smile, "I play my Ookazi Magic Card which inflicts 800 points of Direct Damage to your Life Points."

Viper blinked and I grinned broadly, "I win." I couldn't believe it, I had won my first duel! Who's laughing now?

Viper handed over his Locator Card and his rarest card. I couldn't believe what he handed me, what was this guy doing with a Red Eyes Black Dragon? Before I could ask, he turned and walked angrily into the crowd muttering under his breath.

"Hey kiddo," I blinked as Mai walked up to me. Her long blonde hair bounced in time with her long strides. She smiled, "I saw you kick that loser's butt, you have some spunk."

I blushed with pleasure, "Thanks, but I really don't deserve that compliment."

Mai laughed, "And why heavens not?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, "I beat him with a magic card - I didn't even have a strategy." Mai looked at me closely and took a deep breath, "Some people use luck to get by, and some people use skill. Others use both luck and skill. Luck may have won you the duel, but skill kept you alive. That fellow threw some nasty cards at you."

"I was trying to aim for one of the normal ones." I winced as I remembered Viper's continous laughter.

Mai laughed again, her twinkling music bringing a smile to my face. She said, "Elaine, you shall soon find that if someone is a duelist they are most assuredly not normal."

"But I'm normal, aren't I?" I countered, "And what about Yugi and Joey?"

"Elaine, honey," Mai patted me on the shoulder, "Have you looked at Yugi? Notice anything a bit odd? And as for Joey - let's just say he's one part goof-ball and one part - well, I'm not quite sure he even has another part."

I laughed, "So, how have you been doing?"

Mai held up four locator cards, she was already qualified! My eyes widened, "How did you get those? I just finished my first duel!" Mai tucked them into her pocket and said, "You need ten locator cards to qualify for the finals - and I'm making sure I get to the top!"

I frowned, "I thought you only needed six locator cards."

"Who told you that?" Mai asked. I chuckled nervously, "Oh - no one in particular..."

"Well, I've got to go," Mai said, "I see an idiot at 12 o'clock."

Rex Raptor. Mai turned to me, "This is between us two, you better go."

I nodded, "I'll see you at the finals." Mai winked, "Well, I don't know about YOU..."

I couldn't help but smile. Mai was the one with real spunk. If anyone got into the finals, Mai would definitely be that one - except maybe Yami. I wonder how Kaiba would deal with Mai's dueling techniques? Her's cut you to the quick instead of driving you mad, like Viper. I looked at the clock - Good Grief! I've got to get dueling!

I ran off through Dominion City and entered a park, a large crowd had gathered together; were they duelists? I headed up to them to ask if anyone wanted to duel - then I saw what they were really doing. They had gathered around a very creepy looking mime.

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
Oooh! Everybody loves a mime...! Or not...  
Hey, do me a favor and review please! I'll try to update at least once a week  
If I don't, you have permission to hit my with a sasusage.

One last little thing...Do you think I should actually write out the duels play-by-play, or have some important action scenes highlighted only, or just cut it all out?  
?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?


	10. Chapter 10

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 10: Attack of the Mimes

Rare Hunters and Mimes are probably the most scary things to walk the planet. So a Rare Hunter Mime is double the trouble!

At first I paid no attention to the strange man standing on a park bench in utter silence. He had several piercing and was definitely ugly. One of those faces only a mother could love, if the mother was blind, that is. Several people were standing around him, mostly asking if he was still alive. Then he turned his head slowly to look straight at ME! A golden eye, the same eye that stared out of Yugi's puzzle, appeared on his forehead and glowed eerily. A shiver went down my spine and half the little crowd freaked out. This was no ordinary mime.

I had decided to wander around on my own early and so I had left Yugi. How many Americans got to see Japan through the eyes of anime artists? But now I really wished I hadn't.

The mime jumped from his perch and ran straight towards me. I gasped then froze - I couldn't move!

"Eeeee!" I managed to squeal. The mime jumped over me and continued down his path.

"What the heck?" yelled one of the people in the crowd. A woman walked over to me, "Hey, are you okay - you look totally freaked out."

Freaked out? That was a Rare Hunter Mime! I was trembling to my toes!

"I'm f-f-fine," I stuttered. What was that Rare Hunter Mime doing? Why had it ignored me? I gasped - the only thing that would have excited a Rare Hunter other than me was Yugi! The mime was heading towards him - I had to get to him first!

"Excuse me!" I pushed the woman out of my way and dashed down the side walk, the mime just in my sight. Boy, he was a nimble little fellow.

He turned down an alley, was he trying to lose me on purpose?

I quickly turned down the same alley - the mime was gone.

"Well that was weird," I muttered. The alley was a dead end, maybe the mime wasn't after Yugi at all. Maybe I had frightened the Rare Hunter into going into hiding, I thought. It seemed unlikely - but there was no Yugi down here.

plunk I whipped around. The puddle in the middle of the alley rippled, as if someone had stepped in it. But there was no one to be seen.

I started to turn when Several Rare Hunters emerged from the shadows - the mime in the lead.

I had walked right into a trap!

"Hey guys," I said, "Uh... Fancy meeting you here." I tried to walk past them but they blocked my way, there was at least nine of them, "Oh I get it - you're doing the wall trick!" Nine Rare Hunters? It looked like Marik wasn't taking any chances. I looked at my surroundings. To my right was a fire escape - that might just work!

I pointed behind the Rare Hunters, "Behold!"

All of them turned quickly and I jumped onto the ladder and climbed with all my might. I had reached the first landing when I heard, "She's getting away!"

I kicked the ladder to the ground and the Rare Hunter Mime glared at me with dead eyes. I gulped and froze as a voice echoed throughout the alley. Like someone speaking out of a deep well.

"Lumis, Umbra - bring her to me."

"Ekk!" I made it too the top of the building but the two Rare Hunters had to be Jackie Chan clones! They simply jumped up the wall! I dashed off and ran towards the edge of the roof. Another alley seperated the roofs of the buildings - could I jump to the other side?

I don't have a choice!

"You can't escape us!" they called and ran after me. I ran to the edge and jumped with all my might. I'm going to make it, I thought. I reached out and gulped. Or maybe not. I missed the roof of the building while Lumis and Umbra over shot their jump and flew straight over me. I, meanwhile, crashed into a window and landed in a room with a CRASH! I winced as I stood up - that HURT. A young Asian boy sat on the bed combing his hair. I nodded to him as I left the room, "Yeah - we American tourists just pop up all over the place."

I exited the building, now with a limp, and my first thoughts were, I've got to find Yami!

"There she is!" I turned around, the rest of the Rare Hunters! I really don't need this, I thought. Then I started running as fast as I could down the crowded duelist filled walk ways. The Rare Hunters shouted, "Wait! Get back here!"

"Freeze!" one shouted.

"Fat chance!" I shouted over my shoulder.

The Rare Hunters finally stopped following me after ten blocks. I looked desperately for Yugi or Yami or Joey or anyone! Even Téa! None of them were in sight, and my right leg was really starting to hurt. I finally rested by the side of a river. I heard a boy talking behind me. Was that a voice I recognized? Turning around I saw Yugi with that zoned out look on his face. I sighed with relief - if anything the Pharaoh would certainly know how to deal with a couple of Rare Hunter freaks. With all his experience he had to be the best by now. I stood up and started to call when I saw the mime dude!

"OMG!" I gasped, "Yugi, watch out!"

The mime jumped over the bridge and landed in front of the stunned Yugi. I ran up to them determined, if anything, to help Yugi beat the guy up. But as I neared them I realized it wasn't really a mime.

The mime spoke in a voice overlapped in a darker, more sinister voice. I'd recognize it anywhere, Marik! Marik explained with great pleasure that the mime was one of his Mind Slaves. An empty shell he used as a puppet.

"And he's after me?" I said weakly, "I'm done for!"

I hid behind some bushes and watched from a distance. Marik seemed to respect Yugi enough not to tackle him in a dark alley, but if Marik spotted ME... I shuttered.

"What are you saying?" I muttered. I was too far away to hear what they were talking about, but I could get the gist of it. I watched in horror as Yugi changed into Yami and challenged Marik to a duel on the spot! Had the Pharaoh gone mad? That Mind Slave Thing had an Egyptian God Card! Marik had warned him!

Of course, I didn't really know what an Egyptian God Card was - but it had the word 'God' so it must have been pretty important.

"Yami," I hissed, "You're way over your head! I have to get help!"

I ducked down and ran off, I had to find Joey - he would know how to talk Yami out of this. And if not, Yugi would listen to him. At least, I hoped so.

"There she is!"

"Uh oh," I mumbled. The Rare Hunters! I dashed off and ran into the city, if only I could lose them in the alleys! Unfortunately, I didn't even know where I was going.

I dashed down the nearest alley, and boy was it not my day. A dead end. I gulped - there wasn't even a fire escape to help me now. I was trapped and there was nothing I could do about it. With a sigh of defeat I turned and faced them, I held out my arms. Tie me up and just get it over with, I thought. But the hooded man looked at me in surprise then declared, "Elaine Murphy, prepare to surrender your Wingweaver and your soul! I challenge you to a duel!"

I frowned, there was nothing in the Battle City Rule Book about giving up one's soul. Then I thought back to Marik's Mind Slave. Was that what happened? Had he stolen that poor man's soul? I didn't want to think about it.

The Rules said you couldn't turn down a challenge, so I had to go through with it.

"Hmmm," I said, pretending to think it over. Psyching out the competition was half the game, "Bring it on."

We walked out into the middle of the alley, I yelled with confidence, "I hope you know what you're getting into! I'm a can of Whoop-Heinie just waiting to be opened!"

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That's actually how you spell "Heinie" - believe it or not.  
I realize Elaine probably should have been extremely injuried when she crashed through the window, but I thought a whole scene of her cringing and being in pain and having a headache and trying to pull herslef together would take away from the plot. Besides, it's a cartoon...

Could some tell me about Mary Sues? I've seen people refer to other storiess like that - mostly in a negative way. And from what I've heard, the description of a 'Mary Sue' seems exactly like what I'm writing here! Am I writing one? Is this bad? Should I stop now?

Would one please review and tell me!  
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	11. Chapter 11

CROSSOVERS

Chapters 11: Rare Hunter vs. Elaine

"LET'S DUEL!"

I activated my dueling disk and watched as the holo projectors popped out like little bats.

"Oops," I muttered, "Can't forget this!" I quickly shoved my Wingweaver into my deck. The Rare Hunter and I traded decks and shuffled. As I handed his deck back I said, "I usually let the underdog go first."

"Hmmm..." the man smiled, drawing five cards, "I'll enjoy shoving those words down your throat."

I drew five cards and gave the man a twisted smile. Looking down I resisted the urge to make a fist and pump the air. Already my hand was loaded! Right on! The Rogue Doll would start my move, either that or Neo the Magical Swordsman. I also held a trap card, Waboku. And this Trap Hole might be a great way to start out.

I loved Trap Cards, if I could have my wish my deck would be full of them. I know Yami warned me that was a strategy very easily broken, but I didn't care.

"I play one monster in defense mode!" the man yelled. A simple face down card emerged on the field. I blinked, what was this Rare Hunter doing? "I thought Rare Hunters were supposed to over power their opponents."

Even so, my instincts told me to be careful and they'd never been wrong before. The monster either had an impressive set of defense points, or had a special ability when attacked or flipped. The man's shoulders were shaking slightly. I would never have noticed unless I had been looking for it. He wanted me to attack.

"I place one card face down and play Rogue Doll in attack mode!" I placed the cards down, "Sorry to disappoint you, but you'll be getting no attack out of me!"

He growled slightly and hissed, "I sacrifice my weaker defense monster and summon the unstoppable Twin-Head Fire Dragon! Attack and destroy her Rogue Doll!" I blinked, okay, so maybe he hadn't wanted me to attack...

On the bright side he hasn't even considered my face down card.

Usually the Twin-Headed Fire Dragon, and it's great fire power, would have destroyed my weaker Rogue Doll. But then, Yami had taught me fire power wasn't the only weapon when it came to dueling. I flipped over my face down card.

I smiled, "You've activated my trap, Trap Hole! TA DA!"

I couldn't believe my third duel of the day was with an evil Rare Hunter. Well, I thought with a smile, let's get this party started.

A giant hole formed under the dragon, sucking it into it's deep pit and destroying it. My smile widened and I clapped my hands with anticipation, "And, according to Battle City Tournament rules I can now attack your attack points directly! Ha ha!"

"I summon Neo the Magic Swordsman! Attack, both my monsters, obliterate his life points!" I cried dramatically and laughed evilly for effect. Both my monsters leaped forward at the Rare Hunter. The other hooded men gasped as my monsters left their comrade with a small chunk of life points, 700. I smiled, "Not bad for my second move."

The man growled, "I play Koumori Dragon in defense mode and place two cards face down."

"Finally," I said cheerfully, "Put those brains of yours to work." These Rare Hunters are so stupid, I thought, I could duel them with my eyes closed.

I drew a card and looked down at Malevolent Nuzzler! I looked at my hand, there was Wingweaver waiting for me and the magic card I needed, Soul Exchange. Maybe this Heart of the Card stuff actually works - my cards are forming strategies FOR me. I shouted to him, "I set one card and then play the magic card, Soul Exchange, sacrificing my Rogue Doll and your Koumori Dragon to summon the all powerful Wingweaver!" I ended with yet another burst of evil laughter.

The fairy burst to life on the field.

He growled and said angrily, "I play Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode!"

I raised an eyebrow and said, "I place two cards face down and now! Wingweaver! Show this guy what you can do!"

Wingweaver launched across the field with a shriek. I couldn't help it, I did a little mini victor dance I was so happy. That silly little stone monster is soon going to be a pebble, and if he tries to do anything about it I have a card down and waiting. Two of his cards are face down, but I bet I know what they are.

"I activate Mirror Force!" the man cried. A shield covered the Soldier of Stone and the attack reflected back on her Wingweaver! Just as I suspected, I thought, "I think this calls for some Reinforcements!"

My second trap card popped up and Wingweaver began to glow. Her attack bounced off her, she suffered no damage at all. The man growled, "Impossible!"

He's certainly doing a lot of growling, I thought, maybe this is part of his dueling plan. Play a card 'GROWL' play another card 'GROWL'. Yami had told me to make situations feel lighter than they really were, and what was more lighter than mocking your opponent? I dissolved into giggles.

He had just wasted a good trap card and my Wingweaver was still on the field. He growled, "I place one more monster in defense mode." He growled AGAIN, I giggled harder.

Back to the duel, I calmed myself. I looked closely at what he had played. Whatever he was up to, it didn't matter. I'm going to win this duel and it's only my fifth turn. Won't Yami be impressed?

Wait, Yami! Dueling the stupid Mind Slave with the God Card! What am I thinking? I have to end this duel and get help!

I shouted quickly, "I play this one magic card, Stop Defense! It changes both your monsters into attack mode!"

The Soldier of Stone was flipped into attack along with Silver Fang, a wolf card. If Wingweaver attacks Silver Fang now it would lower his attack points by 1550 points, more than enough to kick him out of the game, I thought. Then I can get help!

I looked down at his face down card. I need to be ready for anything, "I also place one more card face down!"

My Just Desserts trap card will subtract 500 life points for each of his monsters on the field. If his trap card destroys Wingweaver at least I will still be able to destroy him, I thought. Or maybe he knows what I'm up to.

Better play it safe. I would attack with Neo the Magical Swordsman. It would only lower his life points to 200 if it made it through, but it could destroy a few trap cards. I ordered, "Attack my Swordsman, and wipe his sorry little behind out of this Tournament!"

Neo the Magical Swordsman, his attack points at 1700, flew across the field. The man shouted, "I play Mirror Wall! It keeps your monster from harming me and cuts its attack points in half!"

I winced as the Swordsman's attack points dropped to 850. Mirror Wall? Wasn't that a permanent trap Mai liked to use? That meant every time I attack the same thing will happen! If I attack with Wingweaver, her attack points would drop to 1375!

"Oooh," I muttered. I had to end this now! Unfortunately, I was also cornered and there was nothing I could do about it. None the cards in my hand could destroy traps, all of those were still in my deck. And while I was here in this silly little duel, Yami was probably getting eaten alive!

With that Mirror Wall Trap Card I am totally messed up! I thought, What would Yami do? Probably a stupid thing to ask, but it worked.

Wait, maybe I CAN get around this mess. I looked at the trap card I had played earlier, now would be the time to play it. I called, "I play Just Desserts, and that takes 500 of your life points for every monster you have on the field! That makes your life points go down to zero! So that means you lose."

The Rare Hunter looked a bit surprised. I doubted he had fully gotten into his full strategy yet.

Oh well, better luck next time.

I rushed up to him and said, "Hand over your rarest card and two locator cards - then leave me alone!"

The Rare Hunter complied then turned to his companions and grumbled, "Let's go."

I heard one say to him, "Dude, you are such a bad duelist - I can't believe Marik pays any attention to you..."

Forget them, I told myself, Yami's probably facing that stupid God Card - and I have to find help! I ran around Domino City looking for any one I recognized. I heard someone say near by, "Okay our sensors should spot an Egyptian God Card..."

A person who knew about the Egyptian God Cards! This was such perfect timing! Help, help Mr. Person Whoever You Are! Help me save - "Oomph!"

I turned a sharp corner and ran into a wall, or at least it felt like a wall. I fell on my butt, resisted shouting out several bad words, then looked up to stare into the blue eyes of a somewhat bemused Seto Kaiba.

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Well, there you have it. What did you think of the play-by-play "I Actually Wrote The Whole Thing Out" duel? Was it just a waste of space, or should I continue with this format? (Truthfully, it's hard to make up duels without any real access to Yu-Gi-Oh cards... unless anyone knows a good place that has info... or I could make them all up... if I had any imagination...)

And now the moment I know _I've_ been waiting for - Elaine gets to meet Seto Kaiba ...

I would like to thank to **Kaori**, **panmotto**, and **WOLF DEMONNESS** for reviewing and telling me what a Mary Sue is!

Thanks again! And keep the reviews coming!  
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	12. Chapter 12

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 12: Marik's New Plan

Seto Kaiba. One of the most decorated duelists of the time. The one with all the Blue Eyes White Dragon statues outside his mansion. The guy with the slightly disturbing dragon crush. 

I blinked - He just didn't look like the insanely obsessed type...

Seto was standing next to a furious looking Joey, a surprised Téa, and an anxious Mr. Moto. At first I didn't comprehend what had happened - I was too busy trying to convince myself I had entered a nightmare. From what I heard about Seto Kaiba, people just don't run into him.

"Um... hello," I stuttered. Seto looked down at me, not quite sure what to make of me. I gulped as a vision of me getting slowly chewed to death by the three Blue Eyes White Dragon statues flashed through my mind.

"Elaine!" Téa gasped, breaking the silence. "What happened to you!" I blushed, I must have looked a mess after running down alleys, crashing through windows, and dueling a bunch of crazy Rare Hunters.

"You know this person?" Seto demanded, turning to her. I took the chance to climb to my feet and brush off the back of my pants.

"She's our friend," Joey took a step toward me protectively. A twisted grin lit on Seto's face. He turned to me and bowed, "Then, let it be my pleasure to be the first to congratulate you on your new membership to the Dweeb Club." He tipped his head.

"Now, if you don't mind, I have better things to do." With a swish of his coat he turned and started to walk away with long and heavy strides.

Joey's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. "KAIBA!" he snarled.

"No!" I shouted quickly, grabbing Joey by the arm. "Yugi needs our help! NOW!"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Seto stop midstride. Téa gasped, "What are you talking about?"

"Yami, I mean Yugi, is stuck in a duel with some crazy Mime Mind Slave who got his soul sucked out who's being controlled by an evil guy named Marik who has the Millennium Rod who wants to take over the world!" - Deep breath - "But the Mind Slave has a Egyptian God Card and so..."

"WHAT?" Joey shouted; while Seto interrupted. "Did you say Egyptian God Card?"

"Of course I said 'Egyptian God Card', you dunce!" I shouted at him. Maybe this cool intelligence thing was simply an act, even Joey caught onto THAT! "Now Yugi's probably getting eaten alive! I went to get help, ran into a few freaky weirdoes - those Rare Hunter People - and then ran into you." I paused. "Literally."

Mokuba's voice suddenly came out of the collar of Seto's coat making me jump, "Seto! An Egyptian God Card has just been played!" Oh no! I'm too late! I thought. I heard Téa's sharp intake of breath as she covered her mouth in shock.

Seto smiled, a smile that did not reach his cold, blue eyes, as Mokuba said, "I'll send the coordinates to your Dueling Disk. I'll meet you there by helicopter - Mokuba Out."

Seto started doing some fancy techie stuff to his disk but I grabbed his arm and cried, "Come on! You don't need that - follow me! and HURRY!"

Seto let out a strangled yelp as I plowed through the crowds running for the bridge where I had last seen Yami. Dragging the billionaire behind me, Joey and Téa ran to keep up while Mr. Moto huffed out in a wheez, "I'm too old for this..." and stopped.

As we dashed towards the spot, I saw a helicopter fly over our heads – It was Seto's little brother!  
The wind pushed us back, but I continued plowing forward. I could almost glimpse Yami! He was just over the hill... 

The helicopter veered to the ground sharply and Mokuba jumped out shouting, "It's Yugi, he's in a duel with a Rare Hunter..."

"Yes, we already know that!" I shouted. Mokuba blinked, "Who are you?"

"Perhaps explanations are best kept for later," I said in my most mysterious voice. Joey shouted, "RARE HUNTERS? EGH! IF ANY ONE OF THEM LAY A HAND ON YUGI!"

"Oh no!" Téa cried, "We may be too late!"

We arrived just in time to see a huge red dragon, Mokuba called Slifer the SkyDragon, break free of a Spellbinding Circle. All five of us froze. Joey cried, "9000 attack points? That's insane!" The great dragon let out an enormous roar and ripped through Yami's Magician Girl destroying her with ease.  
Yami, exhausted, was on his knees but looked up sharply at Joey's outburst. "Joey?" His eyes didn't focus on his friend for a moment, then they cleared and Yami closed his eyes. "Joey." It was almost as if he was drawing power simply from the fact that Joey was there.

Seto shouted down a few uplifting insults - if you could call them that - and managed to raise Yami to his feet. I was too busy looking at Slifer to pay attention. That was one BIG monster. Big and red, I hate the color red. It drives me mad. A red thing with big teeth - that's just plain wrong. I thought hard, Zack had mentioned something about the three Egyptian Cards before... I think. What had Zack said about this card? It had a second mouth that automatically attacked a monster when played on the field. While this seemed like a huge advantage Zack had said it was also Slifer's greatest weak spot. Zack must be crazy, I thought.

"You can beat this thing, Yugi," Seto said. And Mokuba whispered fiercely, "But Seto, it has three times the strength of a Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Joey gulped, but called out, "Yeah, Yugi! Teach this mime who's boss!"

Marik blinked What is WHEELER doing here? Marik growled He was supposed to be Rare Hunter lunch by now! I can't turn Wheeler into a Mind Slave in front of the Pharaoh! He'll surely stop me!

"I can't watch!" I shut my eyes, "Tell me when it's over!"

In about five minutes, the duel was at an end. The Mind Slave Mime laid defeated. Joey cried out, "YEAH - HA HA! That'll teach Marik to mess with my buddy!"

"Go Yami!" I cried. "Er... I mean Yugi!"

Mokuba rushed over, took the Mind Slave's God Card and Locator Card and presented them to Yami, "I wish you couldn't keep Slifer, but you won the duel."

Yami took them with a nod and Joey gave him a big thumbs up. I ran over to the Mind Slave, was he dead? Dead or not, Téa looked very relieved. Suddenly the former Mime sat up.

"Yieeeee!" I shrieked. I jumped about three feet into the air and almost fell on my butt again. I backed away as the Mind Slave began laughing. It said in Marik's voice, "It doesn't matter if I lose one Egyptian God Card, Pharaoh. I have an even stronger one in the depths of my deck! And don't forget my Rare Hunters. They're all over Battle City, Pharaoh!" I gulped, this didn't sound good at all. Marik had something up his sleeve, AGAIN! He must have really long sleeves.

"Why are you telling me this?" Yami demanded. Marik laughed, "It would be a shame if something awful happened to one of your precious friends - now wouldn't it?"

"Leave them alone Marik! They've done nothing to you!" Yami shouted, "Your business is with me and me alone!"

But the Mind Slave didn't answer, it was laughing so hard. Then it fell face first and lay silent.

Téa looked disgusted and Joey was definitely freaked out.

I gulped, "What did he mean by something awful?" Did Marik plan to turn Yami's friends into Mind Slaves one by one?

"I'm not going to wait and find out," Yami said, "We have to find Tristin!"

Joey's eyes widen in horror. He gasped. "Tristin? But... but Serenity is with him!" Joey grabbed the fallen mime and shook him hard, "IF YOU EVEN GO NEAR MY LITTLE SISTER! YOU CREEPY! I'LL... I'LL POKE YOUR EYES OUT!"

"We've got to go, NOW!" Téa shouted. I couldn't agree more. Only Yami was the one bravest to tackle this freak - and none of Yugi's friends had Millennium items! The three started to run off but then Seto cried, "Stop!"

Yami blinked and faced him.

"Now we're going to have another duel, Yugi," Seto said sinisterly, his eyes glinting, "And you'll give that Egyptian God Card to me." He smiled with triumph, as if simply declaring the fact made it true.

"You really have some nerve, Kaiba," Joey growled balling his hands into fists. Yami said calmly, "There's nothing more important than the safety of my friends." Téa, Joey and Yami ran off, leaving me behind. I stood there still shocked and lost in thought about the Mime. By the time I looked up, they were already gone. Where on earth had they disappeared to? Without the Pharoah near by, I felt very exposed.

Mokuba called after them, "Good luck!"

"You can't turn down a challenge!" Seto growled slightly. Then he turned on me, "What's your name again?"

"Ahhhh," I looked around desperately. "Got to go! Bye-bye!"

I dashed away from Seto and his younger brother Mokuba, then I looked back. Their helicopter! Mokuba had never bothered to shut it down! The light bulb blinked on over my head and I'm sure a positively evil grin spread over my face. Oh yeah, this should be good. I thought to myself - Hey, I AM in a cartoon after all. I might as well have a little fun.

I ran back towards them and Seto blinked in confusion. Then I ran past them and headed straight for their helicopter. If Trinity could do it in the Matrix, why couldn't I?

Seto suddenly realized my destination, he gasped and shouted, "Get away from there! Get out of my helicopter!"

I waved at him, jumped in and used the joystick to lift off. It's just like a computer game, I thought giddily. I had flown in a helicopter once before - the small advantage to having a step-father in the Air Force. I left Seto and Mokuba shouting at the Helicopter. "Give my helicopter back!"

"She's cool," announced Mokuba watching as I flew off. I winked at him and got a severe glare from his brother.

I flew after Yami and the rest of them. With a helicopter maybe we could get to Tristin in time! And I knew how much Joey was connected to his younger sister. If Marik did anything to her Joey would be devastated.

"Huh?" I mumbled. There was something wrong. Helicopters didn't have all THESE controls. Those anime artists had totally screwed up, either that or Japanese helicopters were really weird. I furrowed my brow, "What does this do?"

I shrugged and pressed a blinking button. The helicopter didn't blow up so I figured I didn't do anything too bad. I heard the click of something coming on. Had I activated the intercom? Suddenly music started to blast through the speakers. It was so loud I yelled in surprise and covered my ears with my hands. People on the ground looked up at me with bewildered looks, probably because the next thing I knew Right Said Fred was screaming through the speakers:

_ I'M TOO SEXY FOR MY BLIMP! TOO SEXY FOR MY BLIMP! I'M SO SEXY IT HURTS!_

WHAT THE HECK? So mortified I was I found the CD player and kicked it as hard as I could with my foot. A CD popped out and clattered onto the ground. I picked it up, 'Seto's Motivational Music?'People in Hong Kong are way messed up, I decided, but very cute. I thought of keeping the CD and giving it to my little brother so he could start a shrine - but that was a bit obsessive even for him. So, I threw the CD out the window and flew on.

Meanwhile a young bronze skinned youth in a lavender shirt wearing an assortment of gold bangles and bracelets drove through Dominion City on his motorcycle. He stopped at a red-light and surveyed his surroundings. Yes, soon everything would be going according to -

"UUMMPH!"

"What the heck? WHO DID THAT!" Marik rubbed the top of his head and read what the offending object stated in big bold letters. 'Seto's Motivational Music'.

Marik winced as he touched the spot gingerly. Oh yes, Kaiba would pay for that... dearly! Suddenly Marik's face broke out into a smile. He said in a low voice, "Perhaps I can kill two birds with one stone."

He zoomed off leaving a trail of smoke behind him and clutching his Millennium Rod to his chest which glinted in the sunlight.

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Hey, those friendless CEOs have to keep their self esteem levels up _somehow!_

Personally, I think I've done quite well at capturing Marik's evilness... though – that whole Kaiba part was a bit rocky. Note: Elaine calls Kaiba 'Seto' because... well, she doesn't know any better! Elaine calls everyone (except Mr. Moto) by their first names, so why would Kaiba be any different?

**WOLF DEMONNESS**, you're last review was a bit garbled. It talked about getting card info from the YuGiOh section of... something. I think a word was left out. Send that to me, PLEASE!

**kim** and **Juel Haruna**, just so you know – flattery will get you everything. :þ

Well, hoped you guys liked that last chapter! And remember – review's the word!  
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	13. Chapter 13

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 13: The Helicopters

Seto Kaiba growled. Some stupid girl had just taken off with his helicopter. Plus the girl had gotten stars in her eyes every time she looked at him - which was somewhat disturbing. He told Mokuba, "Use our satellites to locate Yugi and that helicopter."

"Okay," Mokuba said obediently. Mokuba ran off to find a log in station and Kaiba started off in the direction Yugi was heading. That Egyptian God Card wasn't getting away from his that easily.

* * *

Lumis and Umbra blinked. Where had she gone? Their thoughts flew around their head. She couldn't have just disappeared. 

**Silence, idiots!** Their thoughts stopped.

They both winced _We apologize Master Marik, she esca -_

**I was already aware of that, you fools! Now listen carefully, I've made a few changes to the original plan - I know you two cannot defeat the Pharaoh and Kaiba...**

_Yes we can, master!_

**Did I ask your opinion? Leave both the Pharaoh and Kaiba to me - I have a score to settle with BOTH of them.** Lumis and Umbra frowned slightly as they got the sensation of pain through the mind connection.

_Master, are you injured?_

**That is of no concern of yours.**

_Of course. What are your new orders, Master?_

**The Pharaoh is fond off that little squirt, Mokuba, is he not?**

_Ah... um... Well, we don't..._

**Nevermind - just bring Kaiba's little brother to me. This should be most amusing.**

Marik broke off the Mind Contact with a sharp SNAP! And both Rare Hunters rubbed their foreheads. The price of receiving the blessings of Marik's power came with a few pit falls... like headaches and following strange orders.

Lumis turned to Umbra and asked, "What is Master Marik talking about?"

"No idea," Umbra confided, "But I've found it better if you don't ask."

* * *

Mokuba dashed off to do his brother's bidding. That one girl was out of her mind - Seto would probably crush her in a duel now, to teach her not to fiddle with his stuff. Though, he had to admit, it was kind of funny to see Seto so confounded. 

"Where is that control panel?" Mokuba muttered, "There it is! I knew one was installed in the area."

As Mokuba typed in his own command code he froze. Turning around he faced two robbed figures - Rare Hunters.

They grabbed him before he had a chance to react. Mokuba cried, "Let go of me! When my big brother finds out - MUH!" They gagged him and one threw him over his shoulder. One said to the other, "That was much easier that catching that one girl."

The other nodded, the one Mokuba was being carried by "Yes, but I wonder how Yugi will react when he meets his next opponent. I can't wait to see Kaiba's face, Lumis."

"Yeah, Umbra," said the one called Lumis, "Marik's plan to turn Kaiba's little brother into a Mind Slave is his best yet!"

Mokuba gasped through his gags - They were going to turn him into another puppet!

He cried against the gag, "Seto, help me!"

The other one pulled a walkie-talkie out of his pocket and asked, "Is the transportation secured?"

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Okay, I thought, where'd Yami go?

"There he is!" I said aloud. Yami, followed by Téa and Joey, were searching desperately for Tristin and Serenity. I had no idea what Joey's sister looked like, but I knew she'd be wearing bandages. I looked down at the people below. I shook my head, it looked like Seto would never give up chasing Yami. He was still determined to win Yami's Egyptian God Card.

Suddenly I heard the vroom of yet another helicopter. Mokuba? Had he come to kick me out?

I turned and almost screamed. Mokuba!

It was Lumis and Umbra - in a helicopter? They had Mokuba tied up, and it looked like they had stolen another of Seto's helicopters! Mokuba was struggling very hard and his eyes widened when he saw me.

* * *

_Master, it's the Murphy girl! She's in the helicopter!_

**I see! Grab her!**

_But Master, who will drive her's?_

There was silence for a moment. Lumis and Umbra waited and wondered what Marik would have them do.

**If we're lucky maybe her helicopter will land on Kaiba.**

Lumis and Umbra exchanged wicked grins and said aloud, "Of course, Master Marik!"

* * *

"Ahh! Are you mad!" I exclaimed, trying desperately to avoid a head on collision. The tall broad shouldered Rare Hunter - Umbra - jumped onto my helicopter. The aircraft shook under his weight and I gasped as the joystick was almost wrest out of my hands. I struggled to gain control of the helicopter while shouting at him, "Hey, you already stole a helicopter! I got this one fairly, right out from under Seto's nose!" My hands began to sweat - there was a full crowd below us, and it didn't look like Umbra wanted to chat. What was Marik up to? Surely he wouldn't put innocent lives at risk to fulfill his own selfish desires - oh wait; of course he would. 

There was no way for me to fight back, I had to pilot this thing! Umbra wrenched me from my controls before I could protest and threw me into their helicopter. I screamed, and almost fell out the other side. Lumis quickly tied me up and gagged me. Mokuba looked at me helplessly, but there was nothing else I could do. We were both caught.

Then Umbra jumped back into his helicopter. My own helicopter began to shutter slightly as no one was piloting it. But neither Lumis or Umbra were giving it a second glance. I screamed, "The other one will crash!" Even though I was gagged they understood what I meant. I watched as the two Rare Hunters looked at each other with disbelief. Umbra rolled his eyes as he strapped himself into the seat next to Lumis, whose hands were flying over his helicopter. Umbra turned around to look at us.

Umbra chuckled, "That's kind of the point."

I gasped and struggled against my bonds harder - all those people down there! They'd be killed! But my efforts were in vain. Seconds later, Mokuba and I watched in horror as my helicopter veered to the left and careened into a tall skyscraper. Broken glass, flames and smoke filled the air. The explosion tore through the air like the earthshaking roar of a lion. My stomach shook at its intensity; it was so loud! As the flames began to lick the building I closed my eyes; who had died because of that?

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
Uh oh, Elaine's been captured by Rare Hunters! And she's dangling from a helicopter! (That's my little overview summary for those of you who've been asleep.)

**WOLF DEMONNESS**, it happened... AGAIN! Just go to my profile and scroll down towards the bottom. I listed it there so anonymous readers can also see it.

I'm sorry I scared some of you with Seto's Motivational Music... I just couldn't help it. 

Well, as I said previously – review's the word!  
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	14. Chapter 14

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 14: Protecting Mokuba

Kaiba heard several of the people around him scream. They pointed up to the sky. He looked up and was shocked to see two of HIS helicopters doing silent battle. Suddenly one of the helicopters turned violently to the left, descending rapidly. The rotators strained against the air. No one was inside. Kaiba gasped, it was going to crash!

The helicopter didn't right itself. It was like something out of the Matrix. Kaiba growled, "My helicopter! You destroyed my helicopter!"

He heard Yami cry, "Marik! You won't get away with this!"

"Oh yes he will!" the second helicopter flew low, and Kaiba gasped as he reconized the Rare Hunters inside. Lumis and Umbra! What were they doing?

The two Rare Hunters smiled down at them and asked, "Hey Yugi, what do you think of Kaiba's little brother!"

Yami blinked, unsure how to answer. Kaiba ran up to them - if it had something to do with his brother they were going to pay. Lumis and Umbra laughed, "Not sure? What about now!"

They kicked a bundle of what looked like fabric off the helicopter. The bundle straightened violently as the rope connecting it to the helicopter snapped tight. The fabric fell off. Yami shouted, "Let him go!"

Kaiba shouted, "What have you done with Mokuba?"

"Now it's your turn," Umbra said. He kicked me off the helicopter and I screamed. OMG! I hate heights - how had I gotten myself into this? This was insane! I'm a normal girl! I shouted into my gags. Normal girls don't get kicked out of helicopters!

I looked down at Yami and thought, Oops, that's makes me the helpless friend Marik captured, doesn't it?

"If you want them back you'll have to duel!" Lumis crowed. Then, with Mokuba and I still dangling by our ropes they flew away.

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"Wake up!" someone was shaking me. I opened my eyes a bit and saw a terrified Mokuba. He burst into tears, "They're coming to turn me into a puppet!"

I sat up, my head throbbed, "What?" I looked around, we were in a room filled with cardboard boxes.

"I heard those two Rare Hunters, they said Marik was going to turn me into a Mind Slave!" Mokuba said tearfully. I stood up, "Don't worry. You'll be fine - your big brother will come and get you any time now. Those two Rare Hunters have signed their own death warrants by doing this."

Mokuba nodded and wiped his tears, "Don't tell Seto I cried."

I patted him on the back, "Don't worry, you'll be - "

The doors to our cell burst open. I expected to see Lumis and Umbra, but instead I was greeted by new faces. Several Rare Hunters came in and moved towards Mokuba. I jumped in front of them, "If you want to get him, you'll have to go through me!"

"We don't have time for this," one of the Rare Hunters said roughly. I said quickly, "Defeat me in a duel and we'll both do whatever you ask - but if I win you'll let us out of here." Mokuba looked at me like I was insane, but this was the only shot we had.

The Rare Hunter smiled slightly, "Alright then, let us duel." He activated his duel disk and Mokuba gulped. He hissed, "What are you doing?"

"Quiet!" I said softly, "I'm trying to get us out of here!"

I activated my duel disk, I'd plow him down and then get Mokuba out of here and save the day. Yeah! Plus I could win four more locator cards, double yeah! - but if I lose... I shuttered, and pushed the thought from my mind. There was no need to scare myself.

"I wager four locator cards," I announced, I held them up so the Rare Hunter could see them. This would be an official Battle City Tournament duel. The man nodded, "I, too, wager four locator cards."

"Now, lets duel!" I yelled loudly. Mokuba stood out of the way as the holo projectors popped out and formed the field.

The Rare Hunter smiled, "It grieves me to bring you sorrow, my lady. But your loss is as definite as the sun upon the..."

"Whatever," I said, trying to stay confident - more for Mocaba's sake then my own.

* * *

**What's going on! I told you to bring The younger Kaiba to me!**

_Yes Master, we will defeat Elaine in a duel and then they have agreed to come quietly._

**How dare you disobey me! I will not be denied this!**

_Master, for once curb you're tongue._

**You're impertinence shall ruin my plans! Stop this immediately! She will rip you to threads!**

_I do not think so.

* * *

_"Ladies first, but you are not that kind of lady," the Rare Hunter said. His hood hung down over his forehead, I couldn't see his face. Mokuba whispered, "Be careful!" Then he thought for a moment and asked, "What IS your name, anyway?" 

"Elaine Murphy," I answered with a small smile. Then I turning to the Rare Hunter and prepared myself for a lashing. He shouted, "I play Lesser Dragon in Attack Mode! Then I place three cards face down!"

Lesser Dragon? I frowned, with only 1200 Attack Points it was sort of a weak card to start out with. I can do much better than that. I drew a card.

Witty Phantom! That was perfect!

I summoned my Phantom to the field, "I play Witty Phantom, and now attack his Lesser Dragon!"

With Witty Phantom's 1400 attack points, he would easily destroy the Dragon. Unless it was a trap the masked duelist had played earlier, my mind reminded me. Sure enough a trap popped up. He laughed, "Oh, my lady! You've fallen for my trap! Negate attack! Now your attack is gone!"

I almost sighed with relief, that could have been much worse. At least my card hadn't been injured, "Fascinating, now could you please hurry up?"

"Of course, my lady," the Rare Hunter said with a bow. I had to admit, he was a bit better mannered than others I had dueled so far. Though, it was kind of creepy. He said, "I play Soul Exchange. I believe you know what that means, my lady."

"Oh no!" I cried. Mokuba gasped. With Soul Exchange that Rare Hunter could use one of my monsters as a sacrifice! And if he does that, I thought, I'll be open for a direct attack!

"I sacrifice my Lesser Dragon and your Witty Phantom to summon... Gaia the Fierce Knight!" he shouted. I frowned, wasn't that card a fusion monster? Whatever it was it popped up on the field. Mokuba whispered, "Watch out! It has 2300 Attack Points!"

"I know that!" I hissed. "Just calm down - he can't attack this turn anyway."

"Now I play Quick Attack!" the man announced.

"Or maybe he can..." I said weakly.

"This allows me to attack you during the same turn my monster has been summoned. So sorry, my lady," the Rare Hunter said mockingly. And there was nothing I could do about it.

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
O-o... cliffhanger...

Review! Or I'll sick the Rare Hunter on YOU! And I can legally do that, seeing as I'm the author.

Hey, now that FanFiction is redoing their fiction rating system - how do you think this story should be rated? It's rated at the moment **K+** for nine years and up, but I think it should be **T**. What's your opinion?  
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	15. Chapter 15

Note: I edited this chapter after I was informed it had a few grammar errors.  
If anyone finds anything else, I'd really appreciate it if they'd point it out._  
_

_Warning: This is a somewhat cheesy chapter. _

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 14: Protecting Mokuba (Part II)

* * *

**Perhaps you aren't as mindless as I thought.** Marik said grudgingly. 

_I'll take that as a compliment, Master._

**Just win me this duel.** He said. If this failed he would lose more than just some locator cards.

* * *

Gaia the Fierce Knight galloped right into my stomach. My breath was knocked out of me and I was thrown to the ground. Mokuba cried out, "Hold on!" 

I have only 1700 LPs and that creep still has 4000! I thought. NOW I get a tough opponent...

Rubbing my stomach, I clenched my jaw; pay back time.

I drew a card. The Dark Magician gazed up at me with purple eyes. The DARK MAGICIAN? Where the heck did that come from? I don't have a Dark Magician!

I blinked and rubbed my eyes, they had to be fooling me! I looked down at the card again. It couldn't be Yugi's, he would never give THIS card away. I thought hard. I whispered, "Of course, my second duel!" I had never looked at the card I had won from my last duel. That was where the Dark Magician came from! Now all I need are two monsters to sacrifice - then I could play it…

"I play Water Omotics in defense mode, and I place three cards face down!" I said. Maybe it wouldn't be so easy to get the Dark Magician on the field after all. What am I going to do? If he keeps wiping out my monsters I'll never have enough to sacrifice to summon the Dark Magician!

"Hmmm..." the man said, "I must admit. I was expecting something more cunning from you, my lady."

Mokuba shouted, "You just wait! She's going to kick your - "

"That's enough, Mokuba," I said sharply. I turned to the Rare Hunter and smiled, "Let's just say that appearances can be misleading."

He laughed, "Correct, but, I'm afraid I haven't been misleading you. And with my next move you'll never mislead another again!"

He drew a card, "Ha ha! Just the card I needed to finish you off. The end is near, my lady! I play Soul Exchange once again!"

"What?" I shouted. If he sacrifices Water Omotics my life points will be wide open, and he could really finish me off! Mokuba cried out, "Do something! You have to win!"

"I sacrifice your Water Omotics to summon my Flame Champion!" the man cried in triumph, and smiled at Mokuba. Flame Champion? Yami had mentioned this card. That monster had 1900 attack points - that was more than enough to take out the rest of my life points.

* * *

Marik frowned, was she actually going to lose? Had she come this far only to fail? Now with Gaia the Fierce Knight and Flame Champion, his Rare Hunter would have the attack strength of 3200! Even if one of Elaine's traps managed to block one of his attacks, her life points would still drop to zero. Marik doubted even he could have gotten himself out of such a mess, but then again, he would never allow such a thing to happen in the first place.

* * *

"Now I play another Quick Attack! You're doomed!" screamed the Rare Hunter, "Now, Gaia the Fierce Knight and Flame Champion, attack her life points directly!" 

I closed my eyes. Mokuba cried, "NOOOOOO!"

The rest of the Rare Hunters who watched grinned. Bring my head up, I smiled back. "Thanks, I needed that."

The Rare Hunters blinked, confused. My mouth curved up in a triumphant smile, "Now you've activated both my traps and have signed your death warrant as well. You see, both of my trap cards are Grave Robbers." God bless Joey! I thought silently, he had suggested using these...

"Grave Robber?" my opponent asked weakly. I nodded, "You heard me, Grave Robber. With my two Grave Robbers I can take any two cards from your discard pile, and I bet you know which ones. I take both your Soul Exchanges!"

"What!" the man cried, "No, my lady! You can't!"

"Ha!" I laughed, "Just watch me, and maybe you'll learn a few things, too! Now, with two Soul Exchanges I can sacrifice two of your monsters, instead of just one. So with that said, I sacrifice your Gaia the Fierce Knight and Flame Champion to summon my Dark Magician!"

Mokuba jumped into the air, "Alright!"

"A Dark Magician?" the Rare Hunter asked weakly. I grinned, "None other. Now, watch this! I play a magic card, Black Pendant! It raises my Dark Magician's attack points by 500, making its total come up to 3000!"

"No!" he cried and I shouted, "Yes! Now, attack his life points directly Dark Magician!"

"Gahh!" he cried as the Dark Magician launched across the field. I watched with satisfaction as his life points dropped to 1000.

"So," he hissed after he had recovered, "You are a fighter, my lady."

"Amazing!" I cried, full of happy spirit, "Did you figure that out all by yourself?" This duel was finally turning around!

He growled and pulled a card, "I must stop you, and I have a card that will help pave the way."

He placed two cards on the field, "First, I play Beaver Warrior in defense mode. Then I activate this magic card, De-Spell!"

"Oh no," Mokuba said, then he glared at me like De-Spell was my fault. I glared back; ungrateful little pip-squeak.

"Now your Black Pendant is gone," he said with a smile. I said, "Along with 500 of your life points."

I stuck my tongue out at Mokuba, "See? I know what I'm doing."

"What!" the Rare Hunter cried, "How can this be?"

"Simple," I told him, "When Black Pendant is sent to the Grave Yard it inflicts 500 points of direct damage to your life points."

"You really are misleading, my lady," the man said, "But I am not as foolish as you think, for now I can play my rarest card!"

I blinked. Mokuba said what I was thinking, "Do you mean you wanted Elaine to lower his attack points? Why?"

"Because now I can play Last Hope in attack mode!" the man cried. I frowned, Last Hope? I'd never heard of that card. I looked at Mokuba for help, but the boy looked as bewildered as I was.

"Last Hope can only be summoned once a player is down to 500 life points," he explained, "It is my last hope because it does not need to have a sacrifice and it's attack points are off the scale!"

I gulped, "What do you mean?"

A tall figure appeared on his side of the field. It was at least eight feet tall, towering over my Dark Magician. I looked at the monster's screen and my eyes almost popped out. Am I seeing this right? 3,500 life points?

Mokuba gasped, "That's stronger than a Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Sitting at a Kaiba Corps computer screen, Yami, Kaiba, Téa and Joey huddled around watching Elaine's duel. Kaiba bolted to his feet once he got a look at Last Hope. He gasped, "3500 attack points? Impossible!"

Joey growled, "Oh man! We've got to help!"

Yami whispered, "You can beat this - think Elaine, think!"

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

"Now, attack!" the Rare Hunter shouted. Last Hope didn't move, instead it opened it's mouth. A great shriek poured out of its mouth, and a dark shadow leapt at my Dark Magician. I stumbled back as the force of it's attack sent wave after wave of power. Mokuba grabbed the back of my shirt for support and together we toppled into a heap.

My Dark Magician disappeared with a flash of light, and I was left with 700 life points. Mokuba whimpered softly, "Are we going to lose?"

I gulped, there has to be a weakness! But where? It's attack points are unheard off! Not even my Wingweaver was powerful enough to take down that. If only I could have borrowed Yami's Egyptian God Card, I thought.

I looked at my hand, there was nothing I could do. I climbed to my feet and helped Mokuba up. I'd just have to face this creep and give it my all. I closed my eyes and drew a card.

"I play the Mystical Elf in defense mode and place one card face down," I finally said. Now what am I going to do? I looked at the card I had just drawn, Shield and Sword. How could this help me?

"Good bye, my lady," the man said with a smile, "Last Hope attack with all your might!"

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
Hey, it's just like the TV show! Duels that just go on forever and ever and ever and ever...

Okay people, I was originally going to chop this whole part out. But after looking back, I decided to keep it in. It's more of a character development time than a moving part of the plot. Besides, some of you guys said I should keep the duels in – so I decided to let you suffer. Unless you've all changed your minds and think these are a waste of time... (This would be a good time to review and tell me.)

Hey, does anyone know a better starting line than "Let's duel!" ?

Next question: What's the difference between 'Marik' and 'Malik'? Anyone want to enlighten me? All I know is that my spell-checker always thinks Malik means malice...

**Juel Haruna**: Elaine Murphy as a character is a combination of several personality traits from myself and my friends. In this way she has a believable, if colorful, personality and hopefully not as many flaws as I have... though she does have a few! Does that make any sense? As for her name... 'Elaine' was just a name I liked and 'Murphy' was the first last name that popped into my mind. It doesn't mean anything at all... however, Elaine's Egyptian name 'Kamishla' does mean something. Sorry this story doesn't have quite the humor it used to... but I had a HUGE CRAVING to light Yugi's hair on fire in the beginning chapters. :) Come on! I know everybody has wanted to at least once!

If you want a steadier and purer dose of humor, I suggest you check out my Lost Letters of Gandalf. True, they're not about Yu-Gi-Oh... but I'm sure the Funky Fellowship will get around to messing up Yugi's life eventually!

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	16. Chapter 16

_Note: In Chapter 15, I wrote Elaine drew the card: Shield and Sword._  
_This is a mess up on my part, I meant to say 'Living Shield'_

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 16: Last Hope's Last Stand

"Last Hope attack with all your might!" the Rare Hunter screamed. Last Hope opened its mouth and the shriek that came out blasted in my ears. I have to do something!

The shriek was so loud it left me dazed, and I was almost unable to put my plan into play.

"Living Shield!" I shouted. Before the Rare Hunter could protest, his Beaver Warrior vanished from his side of the field and appeared on mine tied to a giant shield with chains.

"What is this?" the Rare Hunter laughed, surveying his captured monster with amusment.

Mokuba looked up at me, "Living Shield? What's that do?"

"Living Shield," the Rare Hunter said. "That card allows you to use one of your opponet's monsters as a shield when they attack your Life Points directly. And since it was your opponet's monster you used as a shield, the damage is subtracted from their Life Points instead of your own."

Mokuba turned to me confused, "But, Elaina..."

The Rare Hunter finished for him, "As a said before, that card only works if I'm attacking your Life Points directly, my dear. And, in case you've forgotten, I'm aiming for your Mystical Elf."

"It's you, not me, whose memory needs to me checked," I said. "Or have you forgotten my face down card! I activate my trap, Stauch Defense! Now - Beaver Warrior, I choose you!" Suddenly, in mid-flight, Last Hope turned on the Beaver Warrior which began to struggle hopelessly.

"What kind of trickery is this?" the Rare Hunter shouted. I smiled, "Stauch Defender allows me to direct my opponent's attack to any monster I choose on my side of the field. And because Beaver Warrior is under the power of Living Shield I'm protected and the damaged is subtracted from your Life Points!"

Mokuba grinned, "And since Beaver Warrior only has an attack strenght of 1200, that means you lose 1800 LPs... and the last time I checked, you only had 500."

"But...What...How..." the man sputtered. I smiled, "Told you, you'd learn something." Mokuba cheered, "Yes!"

"No! This can't be!" he cried. There was no way for the Rare Hunter to call off his attack. A flash of light filled the field and when I opened my eyes Last Hope and the Rare Hunter were gone. All the Rare Hunters were gone.

I walked to where he had last stood. There on the ground lay four Locator cards and the card Last Hope.

"You did it!" Mokuba cried, "That was awesome! You saved us!"

He reminded me so much of my own little brother I couldn't help but smile as I ruffled his hair. "WE saved us."

Suddenly there was a loud banging on the doors. Someone was trying to pry them open! Mokuba gasped, "Would Marik go back on his word?"

"Knowing Marik," I thought for a moment. "Yep, definitely."

I grabbed Mokuba and was about to hide him in one of the boxes when someone shouted on the other side of the door, "Mokuba!"

Mokuba scrambled out of my arms, "Seto!"

The doors burst open to reveal a very happy sight. Seto Kaiba, the Pharaoh, Joey and Téa stood in the doorway. Mokuba leapt into his brother's arms. I gave a sigh a relief. It was over.

"That was some good dueling you did out there," Yami said. I wiped my forehead, "I try."

The next thing I knew Seto Kaiba was looming over me. He glared at me and said angrily, "You stole my helicopter, blew it up, and if that wasn't enough you called me a dunce!" - he paused, I winced as I waited for the death blow - "AND you also saved my little brother."

I opened my eyes. I'm not dead? He didn't kill me?

Téa blinked, "You called Kaiba a dunce?"

"Right on!" Joey whooped. Seto glared at him, "Come on, Mokuba. Let's move on."

Mokuba waved at me as his older brother led him out of the building. I turned to look at my friends, Joey was giving me a re-play on how I had kicked some serious Rare Hunter butt, Téa was beaming, and Yami nodded his approvement. I basked in my own sunlight for a few moments. For now the threat of Marik had receded - if only for a moment - and it was as Seto so adequately put it; time to move on.

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
First I want to apologize to all my readers for getting this chapter up so late. I had it written a long time ago - it was just a matter of old junky computers and a spasing internet connection worth squat. Also, with the end of the school year approaching my teachers have become evil with the workload and I've been distracted by many, many things... Ooo! Something shiny!

**Juel Haruna**: I'm glad you like the duels, but I think I'll be cutting back on them a bit in future chapters. Also, thanks for explaining the whole 'Marik' vs. 'Malik' thing.

**crystal**: I'm glad you like my story, and I understand why you're kind of annoyed by me calling Yami Yugi just plain "Yami." I am doing that because this story is written from Elaine's point of view, not my own. She doesn't think of Yami Yugi as a Pharaoh, or as the 'dark side' of Yugi. To her, Yami is a completely seperate entity that just happens to inhabit Yugi's body. As for why she doesn't call him Atem, she doesn't know that's his real name. In fact, I don't even think Yami Yugi knows that 'Atem' is his real name at his point either. So, there you go.

I shall update this tomorrow.  
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	17. Chapter 17

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 17: A Few Effects

Together Yami, Tea, Joey and I left the building, but soon we separated to go our own ways. I still had another two locator cards to win.

As I walked down the street, I admired my new card. Last Hope - now all that power was in my deck. I smiled with pleasure, I may have started out with a beginners deck but now my deck was full of powerful monsters. I couldn't wait for my next duel. Perhaps I should go after one of the weird looking ones this time...

I walked confidently through the streets of Battle City. With eight locator cards under my belt it was hard not to. I wondered if the Rare Hunter's promise of "never bothering them again" applied to Marik as well. I doubted it, though. Knowing Marik he'd probably hunt me down one way or another.

But, No matter what he does, I thought, I'll meet him at the finals – unless he continues to hide behind his Rare Hunters... like a chicken.

"Halt!" the noise startled me and I almost jumped. I turned around to face nothing.

I looked down.

"I challenge you to a duel, and don't even THINK of denying," said a little kid at least two inches shorter than Yugi. He had a buzz cut with a small pony tail in the back. It was like a miniature Anikin Skywalker – only with a duel disk instead of a lightsaber. He had bright blue eyes and amazingly white teeth. His voice was high and squeaky, and for some reason reminded me of a new shiny button.

I chuckled slightly, "You might want to rethink that, kido." He couldn't be any older than six. The boy glared at me. He said, "You can't deny! It says so in the Battle City - "

"I know what the rules state," I said rather crossly. Fine, he asked for it. If he wants to be sent back to his mommy – it would be wrong of me to disappoint him.

"I'm Effects," the boy said, throwing out his chest. Then he looked at me sternly, "Prepare to hand over two of your locator cards. Or do you even have that many?"

I bristled at the insult. I said angrily, "Of course I have that many – I have eight! Now put your money where your mouth is, it's time to duel!"

The boy smiled at me, a cold knowing smile that was wise beyond his years. A golden eye began to glow on his forehead and I could help but smile. Winning my last duel had made me cocky, and now this was something I was looking forward to.

"Marik," I whispered. "You're on."

After some tough dueling I soon realized why Marik had picked this particular boy to be a Mind Slave. Each and everyone of his cards had a special effect or special ability. Every move Effects would activate one of these hidden traits, and all I could do was stand there and wonder what now? I was getting pummeled, and the worst part was - he knew it.

The golden eye began to glow more brightly from underneath his bangs. I stiffened, knowing what was about to happen. The boy said in a voice definitely not his own, "Soon I shall win your soul and retrieve my Last Hope."

He narrowed his eyes, "I don't know what the Pharaoh sees in you, but soon he won't be seeing you at all."

I countered, "Fine, you get my soul and Last Hope - if you win. If not, I want an explanation of why you brought me here... and an ice cream cone!"

"An ice cream cone?" Marik repeated.

"For emotional compensation," I shrugged.

Marik would never roll his eyes – he was too dignified for that. But his left eye kind of twitched like it knew it was possible. The body of the boy shuttered and with a snap Marik was gone. Effects looked slightly dazed, but soon a small knowing grin grew on his face and I shivered.

If I lost this duel...

I took a deep breath, and turned my mind to other things. Like a strategy.

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
First captured by a Rare Hunter, now being beat up by a six year old... Elaine is not having a good day.

**Juel Haruna**: Sorry this is a short chapter, but it _is_ a chapter! The next one will probably be a lot longer, so don't worry.

Hey, here are two random question. Is it "lightsaber" or "light saber"? And is the plural of Jedi just "Jedi"? or is it "Jedis"? Told you guys I was distracted. (Looks around nervously for random Yu-Gi-Oh freaks with flame throwers...)  
?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?


	18. Chapter 18

_**Juel Haruna**: Here's a long chapter for you. _

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 18: The Twelve

"Now who has the upper hand?" I asked the small boy mockingly. I smiled, Effects didn't know what to do. He still had the advantage, but now that I had discovered how to defeat his 'effects' strategy he wouldn't have that advantage for very long. But the best part was - now that the boy was on the run, he was too confused and scared to grab the chances in front of him. Effects hissed through his teeth, "You still only have 1900 LPs - and it won't be long until you have zero!" His desperate mock-bravo only made me smile wider.

At this point in the duel, Effects had no monsters on the field and 3100 LPs due to my ever handy and reliable Wingweaver. In a few turns, he would be history. I did a mini victory dance - I was going to kick Effects' butt and enter the finals! Awesome! While this wasn't exactly as hard as my last duel with that one crazy Rare Hunter that kept saying 'My Lady', I had never seen a strategy like Effects' before.

I drew a card. A Monster Reborn magic card. I sighed heavily, where'd all my trap cards go? Oh well - I was about to win anyway.

"Now I shall attack your life points directly!" Wingweaver danced across the field but Effects shouted, "Not so fast! I play one of my face down cards - Stop Attack! It switches your Wingweaver into defense mode for one turn."

Effects trembled as he mopped his brow with his sleeve, his salvation depended on what card he drew next. Mop your brow all you want, I thought, but soon my Wingweaver is going to be mopping the floor with you!

Effects looked at the card he had drawn and shouted, "Ha! I play Man-Eater Bug!"

Suddenly my Wingweaver screeched in pain and imploded. I gasped, "Wha- wha! That's not fair!"

"Who has the upper hand, you asked?" Effects asked, mocking my words. "Why, I believe I do!"

Effects took a deep breath and his eyes narrowed. I gulped, he was pulling himself together for another effect attack! And now I have nothing left to defend me.

"Don't give up yet!" I blinked and looked into the crowd. Mokuba pushed his way through. He opened his mouth, but Effects beat him to it, "No back-seat dueling or I'll call you for cheating!"

"Hey!" Mokuba shouted back. "I'm the Official Battle City Tournament..."

"So?" Effects scoffed, unintimidated. "It's not like you can actually duel."

Mokuba blinked at the insult, his mouth opening and closing in shock. With Seto usually standing behind him, I doubted Mokuba had ever been made fun of for his dueling skills, or lack there of.

The smaller Kaiba ground his teeth, and stood up straight in a unconscious imitation of his brother. He turned to me and shouted, "Use the cards you have been given - but not everything is in your deck!"

Either Mokuba turned into a living fortune cookie or he was attempting to become a monk. What on earth was Mokuba mumbling about? And why was he here in the first place? Wasn't he with his brother? Looking at Mokuba again, I could see he was perfectly serious about his earlier statement. I thought about what he said more carefully - Mokuba may have been a kid, but I was pretty sure he had learned a few things from watching his brother in action.

Of course my Monster cards were in my deck. I thought. The only other place for a monster card was the card graveyard. At that moment, I could have sworn a cricket started chirping. With the speed of tinder catching fire it came to me. Monster Reborn, you idiot! I could have slapped myself!

"Man-Eater Bug," Effects stared at me coldly, "Destroy her."

The bug roared and rushed directly at me. The small boy suddenly twitched and the golden eye shown brightly once again on his forehead. "Prepare to surrender your mind and soul!" Marik laughed.

I shouted, "I don't think so!"

I shoved my Monster Reborn into the slot and cried, "Say hello to an old friend!"

My favorite card, a monster Effects had taken particular pleasure in destroying earlier in our duel, slowly emerged from the ground. I shouted, "Wingweaver! Let's show this freak who's boss!"

_FLASH_ It was over. The Man-Eater Bug was gone - and Marik was left with nothing.

"Hand over your two locator cards, your rarest card, and a ice cream cone," I demanded. Mokuba ran up to me, "I'd knew you'd defeat him!" He paused - "Did you just say ice cream?"

Marik looked disgusted. With a grunt he threw the cards at me. I caught them.

"I don't think I can buy ice cream with a locator card," I said. Marik growled and threw some coins at my feet. "Knock yourself out."

I smiled, "Now don't forget your..."

But Marik was gone, replaced by a somewhat dazed Effects. The boy fell to his knees, his eyes blank. There was nothing left of him. What happened to my explanation? Would I ever figure out why Marik brought me here? I didn't know what to do, so I bought Mokuba some ice cream.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

"I was so stupid," I told the Pharaoh afterwards. The sun was casting long shadows across the sidewalk and hardly anyone was about. It was getting chilly and I couldn't wait to get to the finals - hopefully they were in a heated building. I continued. "I had completely forgotten about the cards in my graveyard! And towards the end I didn't have a strategy at all, I was just throwing cards at him in hopes something would kill him! What kind of duelist makes a mistake like that?"

"A duelist who is just starting out," the Pharaoh said.

"If you say so..." I sighed.

"Stop acting so blue! You have ten locator cards - you qualify for the finals!" Yugi was back. I smiled at him, "Yeah - that is good, huh. Maybe we should celebrate."

"Hey guys! What's happening?" Mai walked up to us. My smile broadened, "I'm going to the finals!"

"Never doubted you for a second, hon," Mai said. "And what about you, Yugi?"

Yugi held up the ten cards, "I'm all ready, too."

Mai asked thoughtfully, "Do you think Joey made it?"

"What? Me? Not make it in Kaiba's stupid tournament?" Joey bounded over to us. He shoved the locator cards under Mai's nose, "Read 'em and weep!"

"I wonder who the other finalists are?" I said aloud - but more important, who had I replaced? Mai chuckled, "Well, let's go see."

We placed our locator cards in the duel disks. They showed us a map and the location of the Tournament Finals. The four of us piled into Mai's car.

We arrived and it looked like we were the only one's so far. Other than Seto Kaiba, of course.

"Yugi," he said as we walked towards him. His blue eyes flashed as if to say, It's a pity you've made it this far. For now I'm going to squash you. But even so - they were very, very good-looking eyes.

"Kaiba," Yami said, taking Yugi's place. They measured each other up. It was a good thing this wasn't a contest based on physical strength - Yami would get pummeled.

"Hey," a squeaky voice said behind us, "Check out all the losers."

I turned to face Rex and Weevil. I blinked, I was almost 100 sure neither of these two had made it to the finals originally, what were they doing here now?

Mai looked at Rex with disgust, "Didn't I finish you off in our last duel?"

"Not quite," Rex said, seething. I turned to Yami and whispered, "Remember how I said my brother had seen this before?"

Yami nodded quickly. I gulped, "Those guys aren't supposed to be here, I'm sure of it!"

"What are you two doing here?" Yami demanded. Weevil held up ten locator cards, "Same as you - Pharaoh."

Mai blinked, "Is it just me, or did Weevil just call Yugi a Pharaoh?"

I laughed nervously, "Oh you know guys and their stupid nicknames... So ridiculous..."

Mai shrugged, "It's weird, but the name does seem to fit him - Yugi I mean."

"I guess if you squinted your eyes really hard you could imagine his hair as a crown," I offered. Mai laughed.

Now I knew something fishy was going on. Weevil and Rex did not know anything about magic, or the Shadow realm, or the Millennium Items. So, it would make sense that neither of them knew about the Pharaoh. The only thing I could think of was that Marik had gotten control of, well, at least Weevil. I'm not quite sure what help Weevil would be to Marik. If I recalled correctly, Weevil had so far been destroyed by Yami in Duelist Kingdom and by Joey in this tournament. Not the best of duelists to chose from. But even so, where did he get the locator cards?

"How many duelists will there be?" I turned to Mai. Mai shrugged, but a voice I recognized piped up, "There's going to be twelve - if the others show up that is."

Mokuba walked up to me shyly and said with a smile, "I never thanked you for the ice cream."

"Oh, that's okay," I said absentmindedly. Twelve duelists? There were only supposed to be eight! Just as you were required to have six locator cards, instead of ten. Was all this my fault? I couldn't help thinking. The plot had started changing as soon as I had showed up.

"Hey there, Yugi," a rough voice said from the shadows. Despite it's harsh tone, it seemed to have a sly ring to it. A man walked into the stadium. He was obviously American, but other than that I couldn't place him. Mai caught my bewildered look and leaned down to whisper, "That's Bandit Keith, he dabbles in robots and machine cards."

"Only dabbles?" I gulped. Now I knew who he was. Marik had turned him into another Mind Slave after he had tried to attack Pegasus. Then Marik had him steal Yugi's Puzzle, and so Yugi was forced to duel alone without Yami's help. The crazy Tomb Robber, who ran around inside the body of a sickly looking boy called Bakura, had managed to intervene and free Keith, but only because he wanted the Puzzle.

"Yugi! Mai! Elaine!" Joey, Tristin, Serenity and Duke Devlin pulled up to the scene. Joey hopped out of the car and opened the door for his sister. Seto narrowed his eyes, "They aren't duelists."

I wasn't sure if he was referring to Joey as well, but Mokuba said, "Hey, they did help you save me."

Seto grunted in response.

I frowned as Serenity came forward being lead by Joey, "You still have your bandages on!"

She nodded with a smile, "I can take them off tonight, then I can see my big brother duel."

I couldn't help but glance Seto's way. Serenity's comment about her 'big brother' was so reminiscent of Mokuba I could have laughed. But Seto was watching the distance as another duelist approached.

"Bakura! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the hospital?" Joey said suddenly. I gasped, the crazy Tomb Robber! Bakura walked up to his friends, seemingly shy. I guess he has that double split personality, too. I thought. He smiled in Mai's direction, but when his eyes locked on mine his smile appeared to freeze and his mouth opened slightly in shock. Mai leaned back on her heels and laughed softly under her breath. Uh... was I missing something here?

"Ishizu," Seto hissed. I turned around, Bakura forgotten. It was that weird lady from my dream! She had said I would decide if evil would rein, or something around those lines. I studied her intently. Her cream colored robes hid her, but even so I would have recognized her a mile away. Her turquoise eyes stayed on Yami as she approached. She had a fancy necklace that had the same Golden Eye as the Rare Hunters and the Puzzle! Kaiba was staring at her warily, like a snake had just entered his tent. What was his problem?

She moved her head slightly to look at me. I raised my arm with the duel disk in front of me, almost like a shield. She nodded and turned back to Yami and began to address him as, "My Pharaoh."

"Who's she?" Mai whispered. I shrugged, "I don't know - some kind of fortune teller?"

Before I could catch Ishizu's eye, Seto announced, "We're leaving."

"But there's only ten of us! I thought there were twelve!" I protested. Seto glared at me, "I don't plan on waiting all day for a few stragglers."

"Hey, it's Namu!" Bakura said happily, turning his back to us. A young bronze skinned youth in a lavender shirt wearing an assortment of gold bangles and bracelets ran up to them. The only thing that marred his appearance was a small bump on the top of his head that he touched gingerly once and awhile. It looked like someone had clubbed him over the head. He had gold earrings and golden bands around his neck. He wasn't as tall as Kaiba, probably two inches shorter. (Still taller than me though.) His shirt, his tight shirt, matched his eyes. When he moved you could see perfectly toned muscles ripple through the fabric. Too bad he had a stupid name like Namu...

"Bakura, you're okay!" he said, shooting us a beautiful smile.

"He helped me to the hospital," Bakura explained. Joey stretched out his hand, "A friend of Bakura's is a friend of mine."

"Oh how touching," Seto said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ishizu watched Namuo with hard eyes and a disapproving frown. No one seemed to notice it but me. Namu looked at the lovely Egyptian fortune teller and some kind of silent communication passed between them. Ishizu finally sighed, and walked slowly away as though defeated. It was like they knew each other and...

I gasped, Namu was Marik in disguise! I remembered Zack saying something like this happened! But then where was Marik's little sidekick...?

VRRROOOMM! A motorcycle roared into the stadium and stopped inches in front of me! Mai pulled me back quickly as the robed man stepped down from his vehicle. He had tattoos lining down the left side of his face. Odion!

"Marik!" Joey shouted at Odion, "You're going down!"

That's right, I thought as I looked straight at the supposed Namu. Once we get on that blimp I'm going to shake the truth out of you, Marik Ishtar!

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Is that how you spell Odion? What kind of a name _is_ Namu? Is that how you spell Namu? What kind of currency to they use in Japan? Is that how you spell currency? _Does any of this really matter? _

**wolfdemonness**: I haven't heard from you in a while! I wondered where you went! Yes - I was able to get to "pojo", but I was kind of confused about how to navigate the website. I got to the Yu-Gi-Oh section okay, but after that I was lost and confused... very confused...

**kerochan606**: What's better than ice cream to celebrate after the defeat of a twitchy guy?

**panmotto**: I'm glad you like it, and I'm updating as fast as I can! Just watch my fast little fingers of fury! Look at that skill! (Well... not exactly _skilled_ - I just like to say that.)  
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	19. ALERT

Dear Crossover Readers,

I want to apologize for not updating lately. I have been very sad over the month of May, and developed one of the most terrible cases of Writer's Block an author can get. If anyone wants to send me any ideas on next events/anything please do. Maybe that will get the creative juices flowing again.  
As for the reasons regarding my saddness, I've written them on my profile.

Thank you - and I hope to perk up soon. (I figured I should tell you guys so no one thought I died... lol)


	20. Chapter 19

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 19: The Last Supper

We bordered Seto's blimp as soon as it landed. He surprised us with the coordinates of our dueling spot. We'd be dueling ON TOP of the blimp as we approached KaibaCorp. Island. If everything worked out, the final-finals would be held there for the world to see.

I smiled once I got inside. So this was the blimp that was in the song. Seto's Motivational Music indeed!

First we were going to have a short dinner, since it was already 6 o'clock, and then our numbers would be chosen to see who we would be dueling. If I ended up dueling "Namu" would I win or lose? Marik must have some reason to hide in this Namu identity. So would he play easy to keep it up or suddenly throw off his disguise? Dueling me he'd probably would go evil again. But no matter what he did, I was going to defeat him and get home! Once Marik was defeated, Yugi would have no need to worry about him - and there would be no reason for me to stay.

Téa's idea of me being the key to solving the Puzzle was making less sense as the days passed. Zack had told me the secret to opening the powers of the Pharaoh was on Marik's back. They had been tattooed there during his Tomb Keepers Initiation.

I toyed with the idea of confronting Marik right then and there, but decided against it. I'd wait after the dinner. If Marik was going to send me to the Shadow realm, I was gonna go on a full stomach!

Dinner was set and the twelve of us gathered around the table. There were extra spots for Mokuba, Téa, Serenity, Tristin, and Duke, none of which who were dueling. Serenity had finally gotten the courage to take off her bandages, and now she starred wide-eyed at everything trying to drink it in. I knew just how she felt. Everything looked so... different. It was all Japanese style food, so I hardly knew what anything was. I was ready to try everything - except sushi! I cross the line at sushi. If I was going to eat anything, it was going to be cooked.

One of the dishes Mai pointed out to me was the puffer fish. If prepared incorrectly, it was deadly. Like playing Russian Rulet, a gambling game that involves bullets. I had no wish to die anytime soon, so I didn't touch the stuff. Besides, it wasn't cooked either. No wonder it could kill you! As I started to dig in one of the waiters came out with a bottle of Sparkling Cider and placed it on the table directly in front of Joey. The waiter caught Seto's eye before he turned out the door. Sparkling Cider, I almost chuckled. Somehow I was expecting Champagne, Sparkling Cider always reminded me of what the grown ups would give to kids at fancy... _ooh_. Joey had turned red with anger and was glaring at Seto with such fury I averted my eyes.

"Hi, I'm Serenity!" Joey's sister broke the silence and turned happily to the startled man sitting next to her with her hand outstretched. Bandit Keith looked thoroughly surprised as he shook her hand, and Joey, still red in the face, growled at him from across the table.

I looked around at the rest of my eating partners and felt out of place. I was sitting at the same table with Yugi Moto and Seto Kaiba! Somehow, I had just never pictured it like that. Bakura was still sending me strange and shaky glances. What _was_ his problem?

"What's wrong?" Mai whispered. I shook my head, "Nothing - just nerves."

Then I realized something else. This wouldn't be like walking up to some random person and asking them to duel. These were my opponents, all sitting here at the table. I didn't have a choice.

I gasped, I could end up dueling Mai!

Shaking my head, I turned my thoughts to other things. So maybe I wasn't a celebrity or a rich manager - I was here. And, I frowned, I had a strange tingling in the back of my mind that this was the way it needed to be.

As I poured some kind of brown sauce over some kind of white mush I noticed "Namu" was sitting directly in front of me. He smiled and I smiled back. Hey - technically wasn't supposed to know he was Marik. There was no reason to be mean. Besides, he was much hotter than Seto when he smiled. (Not the evil smile which is just sort of creepy, though. The good one.)

"Do you want some Sparkling Cider?" I asked, snatching it from in front of Joey who looked as if he was about to start snarling. Namu blinked, honesty surprised. He looked embarrassed.

"I don't know what that..." he blushed as Joey brought his head up, anger forgotten, "You don't know what Sparkling Cider is?"

That's just perfect, Elaine. I thought. Namu's been living underground all his life in the tomb of the Pharaoh. Why on earth would he know what Sparkling Cider was?

"It's a drink," I said quickly before Joey could make a bigger mess of things, "Have some!"

I popped off the top of the bottle - and it EXPLODED! Namu, Mai, Joey and myself got sprayed with sparkling cider, while the cap flew at rocket speeds and hit Seto in the smack dab center of his forehead. Seto's whole chair flipped over, he jumped so bad, then he went toppling over with it. Mai screamed because she hadn't been paying attention earlier, and the explosion had caught her completely by surprise. And Mokuba had the funniest expression on his face as he looked down at his brother who was sprawled out under the table.

The whole table was quiet while several waiters rushed off to get more napkins, one snatched the bottle from my hands. I sputtered, so embarrassed I could have died.

Joey finally broke the silence. "I like Sparkling Cider." Then he started laughing, and Namu started laughing, and Mokuba started laughing, and I started slowly sinking under the table, and Mai ran off to the bathroom to salvage her hair, and several waiters helped pull Seto to his feet.

"I think I missed something," said the still bandaged Serenity. She hadn't seen a thing.

Duke muttered, "Trust me, it's nothing worth knowing."

After that the only people who would talk were Yami, Téa and the people who hadn't gotten sprayed or attacked by a flying cap. Seto knew someone in my area was responsible for the exploding bottle but he couldn't figure out which one. Not even Mokuba had seen. Seto would probably have demanded an answer only Joey was giggling so hard Seto was already positive he was the cause of the whole mess.

Mai came through the door, raking her fingers through her thick, now wet, hair.

"Sorry," I whispered as she sat down . She smiled, "I was able to save my hair, so you're forgiven."

Dinner ended quickly, and there was a ten minute break before the numbers were picked. Marik disappeared out one of the doors and vanished from sight. Ishizu, looking sad, followed after him. After edging along the back wall and making sure no one would see me, I dashed out the door and caught a glimpse of Ishizu's white robes as she vanished up some stairs. I didn't know what Ishizu was planning, but I didn't care. Marik was up those stairs and I was coming after him.

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Hey look! I updated! _Yea_!

This time I wasn't being lazy though... I had written out a whole Marik and Elaine confrontation scene, where she was attacked and sent to the shadow realm. And then Ishizu appeared and the audience got to listen in on their long conversation and learn a whole bunch of new secrets... but then a whole bunch of mysteries were brought to light, too. And to top that off, Marik stole Ishizu's soul and did some evil laughing. -I liked that part- Then there was this scene where Elaine met up with Marik's father in the Shadow Realm and they had a few words (the father was insane and was convinced he had been raised by kangaroos and had died the day his son used too much hair gel – and he was also convinced he had cousins in Florida).

But I decided I didn't like any of that, so just pretend I never mentioned it...

Yeah, what I'm trying to say is that the story is going through _a lot of plot changes_ which I hope will be a bit more interesting than what I had previously described!

**Atem's Queen of The Nile**: I appreciate your concern. I'm so sorry for your loss as well – my grandparents are starting to approach the end, and so that has been hard for me as of late.

**Jennifer**: Thanks for the idea, everyone helps!

**BritishxCrumpet**: Don't worry... all shall be revealed! (In the end)  
And I just want to say... I love crumpets!  
**  
KivaEmber**: Thanks for the review! Yan... I must remember that...

**panmotto**: Sorry I didn't update ASAP – I shall try to update more faithfully in future weeks.

**Juel Haruna**: Thanks for the ideas, and the kind words.  
1. Actually, I originally wrote this story with Elaine head-over-heels for Kaiba – but I thought that was kind of cheesy to post on fanfiction, so I edited the chapters I posted on this website to leave that out. Any spill overs were just my laziness surfacing again. :) As for the Mokuba-Elaine thing... _EWWWW!_ That's like Padme-Anakin all over again! And we all know how that turned out. lol  
2. Zack cannot physically come into the world of Yu-Gi-Oh... this will become clear later in the story.  
3. Bakura becomes important in other ways, and Noah (yes, he'll show up in this thing... groans) stalls the tournament – so we've got the "Ahh! Must go on other crazy mission before this stupid tournament can finally be over! Gah!"  
4. Elaine's mom... is a mystery... and you must suffer in your ignorance a while longer – Maw ha ha ha!  
5. Hmmm... "_Marik could want Elaine to marry him against her will and she would be his slave forever, tending to his every need._" I don't think so, Juel. LOL

**To the Reader**: It's my plan to try to update once every week, but I may be going on vacation soon so everything is kind of messed up. Thanks for your patience!  
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	21. Chapter 20

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 20: American Insights

I launched myself up the stairs, taking them two at a time. The metal steps sent echoes through the corridor - the odd thing was there were only echoes made by my feet. Ishizu, just ahead of me, seemed to race up the stairs with the silence and agility of a ghost. Her robes were so close I could have almost reached out and grabbed them.

At the top of the stairs she disappeared to the right, her robes snapping as they whipped around the corner. Taking the last step, I turned and stopped with a cry of surprise as I faced an empty hallway. I looked around in confusion, and tentatively took a step down the dimly lighted hallway. Was this Marik's doing? It didn't seem like him to capture people silently in the dark, but, then again, how well did I actually _know_ Marik Ishtar?

"Ishizu?" I called in a whisper. If Marik was lurking around, I didn't want to alert him that one of his targets was wandering around by herself. Tip-toeing down the hall I peered through doorways, but no one was about. Then a harsh voice startled me out of my wits. "Looking for someone?"

"Gah!" I cried in alarm and instinctively dropped to my knees with my hands held above my head. My heart was racing, and I could almost feel the cold inky blackness of the Shadow Realm.

Bandit Keith laughed, and stepped out into the hallway. Stunned, I sat back on my heels and stared at him. My heart was pumping in my ears - now with embarrassment and a touch of anger. "You scared the living daylights out of me," I accused. "How'd you get up here?"

"Left during the dinner," Keith folded his arms casually, and leaned against the wall watching me with obvious amusement through his sunglasses. "I can see now that it was worth it." He laughed again.

"Who do you think you are? A celebrity?" I asked hotly, looking pointedly at his sunglasses which glinted in the light. Keith grinned, "Something like that."

I couldn't help but grin back as I realized something, "You really _are_ an American." It was nice the cartoonists had got it right.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" he asked, still amused. I started to relax, I couldn't help it. Bandit Keith was like the people I encountered everyday in the halls of my school: direct, haughty, and absolutely convinced the world had nothing better to do than revolve around them.

"It's just nice to run into someone from home," I said - especially since I had been expecting to run into a demented madman.

"Yeah," Keith nodded. We stood in silence for a moment then he demanded, "What the heck are you doing hanging out with Japanesian pip-squeaks like Joey?"

_Japanesian_ - my grin grew broader. Somehow, that one question made me relax completely and I laughed aloud. "They're OK." Then I frowned. "Actually, they're great. I just popped out of nowhere - you know? - and they took me right under their wing. It's nice to know they're are still some decent people in this world."

"A few," he agreed, Keith took off his sunglasses and looked at me. "From what parts?"

There could only be one thing he was asking. "California - born and bred."

"Nice - been their a couple of times. Good seafood, hot babes."

I laughed, "Oh please - no California girl would fall for some stubble-bearded slime-bucket like you."

"Ouch." Keith said ruefully. "That hurt."

I started to laugh, but stopped. This was Bandit Keith I was talking to. The guy who had taunted Joey mercilessly, the guy who had cheated in his duels and tried to attack Pegasus. The guy who had once been a Mind Slave, and who might still be.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. Keith frowned at me, "I told you, I left - "

"No," I said. "You know what I mean."

Keith returned to his leaning position on the wall. "Dueling." When he didn't say anymore I knew I wasn't going to get anything else out of him. At least not about _why_ he was dueling, anyway.

"Who taught you to duel?" I asked.

"My mother." Keith said, then he looked surprised - as if I had weaseled the truth out of him.

"You had a mother?" I asked teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Course not," Keith replied. "I popped out of Satan's left nostril." I snorted in response and he continued. "But, seriously," he said. "My mother taught me. In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of..." He paused as he searched for the right word.

"Conceded?" I offered.

"No," he snorted. "Anti-social. When Duel Monsters came out, my mom thought it'd be a good way to _make friends_. You know how mother's are."

It was on the tip of my tongue to say my mother had died so long ago I could bearly remember her face, but I didn't. Instead I nodded, and motioned for him to go on.

"So I learned," Keith shurgged. "Mostly so she'd stop buggin' me to death." He chuckled at the memory then fell silent in his own thoughts.

"Well?" I pressed. "Did you make any friends?"

"Heck no!" Keith said. "I don't need friends - I made _followers_."

"Everyone needs friends," I said dutifully. Keith sighed, "Oh, for the love of - ! Don't _you_ go all sentimental on me, too."

"Oooo-kay," I said. Keith went on, "Nobody needs friends. All you need is some food, water, clothes, a roof over your head, and a wad of cash. Kind of reminds me of Kaiba."

"Kaiba - ? Seto?" I blinked.

"Well duh. Kaiba's about as friendly as a Mexican Bull on steroids. He doesn't need friends, and neither do I."

"There are some wanting to be his friends," I said, my thoughts turning to Yugi. Keith seemed to know exactly what I was thinking.

"Yugi's wasting his breath... though, I must admit - he's one persistent little - " Keith paused and looked at me "Erm... he's persistent. Anyway, it's like watching one of those old wise Jedi trying to bring the power-hungry Sith Lord to the Light Side of the Force. Don't you think?"

For a spilt second I saw Yami and Seto leaping and attacking in a lightsaber battle. I grinned, "Like Yugi being Luke and Seto being Darth Vader?" In the end, Luke Skywalker had managed to bring Vader back to the path of peace and light – though it had almost cost his life.

"No." Keith said bluntly. "More like Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul." I froze at his words.

"Darth Maul killed Qui-Gon," I said softly.

"I know," said Keith.

"Elaine!" I turned to see Téa running toward me. Keith quickly sank back into the shadows of the hall - Téa didn't even notice him. "Come on! They're about to pull the numbers!"

"Uh... right," I watched Keith, who tipped his head at me, as he slowly moved down the hall. For a guy dressed from head to toe in leather - he sure could move like a cat.

As Téa pulled me down the hall, I couldn't help but wonder at what Keith had said. And the more I thought about it, the more it saddened me. It was true, in Episode I of Star Wars, Darth Maul had done Qui-Gon in. Did Keith think Seto would destroy Yugi?

In my mind's eye I could see it clearly, if given a chance Seto would give that killing blow. Just as Darth Maul had done... but, if that was so, who was Obi-Wan?

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
Darth Maul killed Qui-Gon, then Obi-Wan killed Darth Maul.  
So, if Yugi is Qui-Gon and Seto is Darth Maul, who's Obi-Wan?  
And if you don't know about Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader... Shame upon you!

Random Fact: Yugi Moto is one inch taller than Princess Leia! _Dang, she's short!_

I was going for a new look with Bandit Keith - I don't know if it worked too well. That whole Star Wars mention ing always felt a little out-of-the-blue to me, but I couldn't think of any other way to explain it..._  
_

**Juel Haruna**: I hope this thing is getting better and better - please hit me over the head if I start straying into lame waters..._  
_

**Panmotto**: Glad you liked it – Seto had it coming...

**Primevera Took**: Bakura acting strange, you say? -_looks around innocently_– What Bakura?  
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	22. Chapter 21

**Note**: There was a lot of controversy on this chapter – but I decided to keep it in.

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 21: Téa's Reality

"Elaine? Hello!" Téa shook me. "What's wrong with you?"

"Huh?" I blinked. "Oh! Sorry, it's just... I don't know."

Téa sighed. "I know exactly how you feel." Suddenly she seemed like a different person. The mask of smiles had vanished, and now her usually bright eyes were dim with worry and distress.

"Really?" I asked, shocked that she - more Yugi's friend than mine - was telling me this, but grateful that _someone_ knew what I was going through. Téa nodded at me as we both continued walking down the hall.

"We're surrounded." She said mournfully.

"What!" I laughed. "You totally lost me, Téa."

"Oh, you know!" she said, looking at me earnestly. "Weevil, Rex, Kaiba, Keith, Mai, and Marik - the cherry on top of this freak cake!"

I heard what she was saying and balked. "Mai's on - !"

"Her _own_ side," Téa said pointedly. "I'd like to think... she can be... no, Mai is definitely on her own side."

I scowled at her, but my head knew she was right - even if my heart was protesting. "Well, we aren't completely surrounded. There's Joey and Ishizu, and don't forget Bakura! Or me! _I'm_ on your side."

"I know that," Téa sighed again. "But sometimes I wish - I wish we were on the winning side for once! That we had one advantage, one fool-proof plan!" She suddenly stopped and held a trembling hand over her chest. "Ohh," she groaned, "Oh please, don't tell Yugi..."

I nodded, to shocked to speak. The normally happy and confident teen looked... _broken_. Téa covered her bowed face with her hands. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I just can't stand it - watching them in danger... all the time."

I couldn't help but feel terrible for her. From just about the time she had met Yugi to the present, there had always been some crazy villain out to get her and her friends. I had never felt closer to Téa than in that moment. I laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "You're right. That's exactly how I feel."

Téa was the loyal one. Téa was the one with the great friendship war-cry of love and peace. Téa was the one who shouted encouraging words from the sidelines. And Téa was the one who was slowly falling apart.

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
It was supposed to be sad... Well?_ What are you just sitting there for? _Review and tell me what you thought already!

Hmmm... I think I'm going through a MUST-DEVELOP-MY-CHARACTERS phase...

I've kind of hit a talky-talk dialog portion of my story. Just a few more chapters and I'll have some dueling for ya!

**person**: No! Can't resist the puppy eyes! I'm glad you approve. What did you mean by "woot"?

**Primevera Took**: Me? Acting innocent? I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about... Don't worry, Elaine's going to find out what Ishizu and Marik are up to real soon... As in, next chapter soon! Obi-Wan... is a mystery... and he lives in a hermit hut...

**Yamiyugimot0**: Thanks for the review! -_sighs_- I hope this is a good story...

**Atem's Queen of The Nile**: Hey, you never sent me that e-mail of ideas! Thanks for the reviews... do tell me if I get off the "Good Story" track, I'm always think I'm just talking too much...

**panmotto**: I couldn't resist giving Keith a little more character! I mean, come on! He wears that totally righteous bandana!

**Juel Haruna**: Adding random comments is my specialtaly... err... sort of. Brick, club or Sausage – tough decision. Do you happen to have any anvils?  
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	23. Chapter 22

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 22: Egyptian Stowaway

Téa and I walked in silence the rest of the way back down to the dinning room. Half-way there, Téa - apologizing profusely - rushed into a Ladies Restroom to compose herself. I waited outside the room and leaned against the opposite wall waiting for her. My mind was whirling at Warp 10, trying to make sense out of everything that had just happened in the last ten minutes.

Keith - being much less than the monster he was portrayed. Téa - going through an emotional break-down. Ishizu - disappearing before my very eyes. And Yugi and Seto being characters out of Star Wars that killed each other.

And then there was Marik. If I didn't get some explanations soon I felt like I was going to pop. Was there some possibility that I was part of his plan to destroy Yugi and the Pharaoh once and for all? I pushed those thoughts from my mind - I needed to concentrate on defeating Marik.

The hallway was quiet except for the soft humming of the engines. Occasionally, distance sounds of laughter rang through the hall - Joey and was that Serenity? I leaned my head back and sighed. I was almost regretting I had ever signed up for this stupid tournament - almost.

It was at that moment it happened. The floor lurched underneath my feet, and I went crashing to the ground. The lightbulbs over my head exploded and I felt a surge of energy pass over my body like a tidal wave. The raw power of it rocked the blimp wildly and for one frightening moment I felt my body leave the floor. My hair was standing on end. After that I found myself, face on the floor, gasping for air. The room was completely black and the only sounds I could hear were human moans and the occasional grunt that came from below me. A few of the floor lights flicked on, casting eery shadows on the ceiling.

I pulled myself on my feet and tried to open the restroom door - it was jammed shut.

"Téa!" I cried, pounding on the door. I put my ear against the door and heard her voice. "I'm okay! One of the ceiling beams is blocking the door – I'll be able to move it in a few seconds. Go find out what happened!"

"Okay!" I called through the door, "Are you sure you don't need any help?"

"Yeah – go on without me! I'll be fine!" Tea shouted. I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. Turning I ran down the hall – but not towards the stairs.

I had tasted the taint of magic in the air, and knew immediately what had happened. Ishizu and Marik - they were the only ones who could have caused something like that. Moving up the floors I thought wildly, had they just done some sort of magical battle? At the very end of the last floor was a small elevator. I threw myself into it and pressed the up button. If they _had_ battled, there certainly wasn't any more battling going on _now_. Marik was evil and would do anything to win, but Ishizu was older and wiser. I couldn't think of Ishizu attacking her younger brother, for despite his evil ways - that was still who he was. But then again, I also couldn't think of Ishizu losing either.

The elevator door open and I jumped out, hands held out in fists in front of me. I might not know the secrets of magic, but I packed a pretty good punch too.

Two steps out of the elevator and I had stopped dead in my tracks. It was night, and only the moon and the stars shone down on what was in front of me. The sight before me made my jaw drop. Ishizu and Marik were facing off against each other, and had clearly been doing some fierce magic. Both their Millennium Items were glowing with gold light, and both were breathing heavily like they had just run twelve miles. Marik's hands were held out in front of him in a fighting pose, his palms were glowing gold as well. Ishizu's arms were lowered at her sides, but a faint glow from her palms was radiating clearly.

_What's going on?_ was on the tip of my tongue. In the middle of Ishizu and Marik, standing in a cloud of mist, was a man I had never seen before. His robe and cape floated about him as if blown by an strong wind. A large white turban of linen sat on his head, and huge golden earrings dangled from his ears. A Millennium Item hung from around his neck, glowing much more brightly than either Ishizu's or Marik's. It was shaped like a key. He had spread his arms as if to hold both brother and sister back. I had definitely not seen him get on the blimp, and I doubted Seto would ever allow any of his staff to dress like _that._

"Enough of this!" he was shouting. "Control yourselves - !"

Then he spotted me. His eyes were a deep pool of grey mist, and I felt they were probing into my very soul. I was powerless to move, I couldn't even breathe. I heard Ishizu and Marik catch their breath.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his pupiless eyes had become narrowed. "You are not supposed to be here!" He raised his hand in my direction and I felt my back grow stiff and my knees weaken. I clutched my throat. It felt like my insides were being ripped out! I opened my mouth to scream but choked on my own fear.

"No!" cried Ishizu and then a bright white light from the Millennium Key was blinding me - after that I knew nothing.

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Ah man! Instead of getting some answers from Marik – Elaine totally got a fistful of _Shadi Butt-Whoop!_

Hey – the summary of this story is still:_ How would you react if you got stuck in the world of Yu-Gi-Oh wearing nothing but your pajamas and some ugly pink socks? Oh yeah, and don't forget the psycho maniac whose trying to suck your soul out.._.  
I don't think it does this story justice now, but I have no idea what to replace it with! Little help please?

Now Review! and if you don't review BEWARE! Now that I have a hit counter thing, I can see everyone of you who read but don't Review... and now I'm waiting for you in a dark alley. Mwa ha ha ha!  
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	24. Chapter 23

CROSSOVERS

23: Preparations

I groaned and rubbed my temples - my head was throbbing. It felt like my skull had been crushed.

"Kamishla?" a voice said beside me. At first I didn't register it, my mind felt like Jello - nothing made sense. I opened my eyes a sliver and squinted against the light. As things began to come into focus I saw a gold eye hovering above my head. "Ishizu... What happened? How did I get here? And... oh, the finals! My duel..."

"Calm down and rest," Ishizu said softly. The Egyptian woman was sitting in a white chair next to my bed, her hands folded in her lap. She explained, "When the doctors said your condition was not permanent, Mr. Howard requested that your duel be postponed."

"Mr. Howard?" I mumbled. Ishizu nodded. "Yes, Bandit Keith." I would have gasped, but it hurt too much. Keith? I was dueling _Keith? _I pushed those thoughts from my mind – I'd get to that bridge when I came to it.

"Why do you keep calling me 'Kamishla'?" I asked. My brain was starting to work again, and I felt strong enough to sit up. I started to remember what had happened, and with those memories came a touch of anger. "Ishizu - you've got two seconds to start answering my questions or I'll smack you over the head with..." - I grabbed a metal bowl off my bed table - "_this thing!_"

"That's a toilet pan," Ishizu said gently, and she slowly pushed me back down into bed. "You're going to make yourself faint - please trust me that all things will be revealed in their own good time."

"And when is that?" I demanded, trying to sit up again but being unable to. Ishizu smiled, "When you are ready."

"Oh - don't you give me that Matrix Oracle 'when your ready' junk." I said, my mind was getting fuzzy again. Ishizu was doing something, but I couldn't tell what - everything was becoming foggy. I felt her place a hand on my forehead.

"I'm sorry, Kamishla – I have to save my brother..." My head started hurting again, and I could barely hear Ishizu's words. "Had there been any other way I would not place this burden upon you – please take care of him." Bright white lights began to form behind my eyelids. I heard a frightened moaning in the distance.

"Wha?" I mumbled, trying to fight against the light. "Ishizu... you're not making any sense."

"Sleep, you have a difficult duel ahead of you."

---------------------------------------------

When I woke up again it was several hours later and a doctor declared I was fit to go to my own room, seeing as they needed another cot. So now I paced nervously in the room the computer assigned me. My duel with Bandit Keith was in three hours. I still didn't know who anyone else was dueling, or what had happened while I was passed out. But I didn't care, I was too busy worrying.

Slowly placing my cards out on the floor, I did as Yami had recommended in the short time he had visited me that afternoon. Look for strategies. Unfortunately I couldn't see any. So far, all I knew about Keith's dueling abilities was that he used Machine cards - metal monsters impervious to magical attacks. Of course, I just _had_ to model my deck after Yugi's and so it was filled with magical monsters!

Joey had beat Keith before - it could be done. But I had no idea how Joey's duel went! Zack concentrated on the raw facts, not play-by-play action scenes. I was lost. If only I could find a YU-Gi-Oh re-run in the KaibaCorps. computer...

A loud beep brought me out of my thoughts. I walked over to the door shouting, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Mai!"

I quickly opened the door and smiled at her, but before I could open my mouth Mai exclaimed, "You missed the whole thing!" She strode into my room and headed towards the couch. "Well, I can't say you missed _much_ – unless you count Kaiba's lame speech about how we are" – she dropped her voice an octave - "here to _duel_ and _win_ and _blah-blah-blah._ So typical."

I grinned at her as I shut the door. Just Mai's presence seemed to lighten the room.

"So," I asked, "Come to wish me luck?" The I paused. "Wait – shouldn't you be dueling?"

"You mean my duel with the real Marik?" Mai winked. "My duel's right after yours." I gasped – how did she know about Odion's disguise? Mai continued before I had a chance to talk, "A lot of things happened after you passed out. But nothing you need to hear at the moment - this is no time to fret your pretty head about a bunch of Marik nonsense. You have a duel to prepare for." Mai looked around my room. "And let me tell you, luck isn't all you're going to need to win this one."

Banishing the thoughts of Marik from my mind, my shoulders sagged. If even MAI was wary of this guy - I was doomed. Mai laughed at my crestfallen expression, "Don't go all blue on me. All you need is a good strategy and you'll do fine."

"Yeah - of course," I laughed nervously. What strategy? I thought desperately. Mai surveyed the room, looking over my scattered cards last, "Yugi suggested I come down here to see you."

I quickly ran over to my cards and gathered them up, "Really?"

"Elaine! Oh my gosh!" Mai cried, "If you need some help just ASK!"

I felt myself blushing. My very first duel had taken place only two weeks ago - in the minds of many, including myself, I was still a untried beginner. I tossed my deck onto the coffee table with disgust. The cards skidded across the surface, spreading out like water. Mai sighed and crouched down in front of me. Placing her hands on my shoulders she looked me in the eyes, "It's okay to be nervous. Anyone who says they aren't is lying."

I broke away from her and sat down, confused. I admitted, "The worst part of this whole thing is - I know someone wanted me to be here. See?" I pulled out my dueling case from under the couch and showed her the ten extra locator cards. "I can't help but feel I'm playing right into someone's" – _Marik's!_ I wanted to shout - "hands, or like I'm just the little girl tagging along for the ride."

_I'm here... _an eery voice seemed to echo in the back of my mind. I froze in surprise, but Mai didn't notice. What on earth?

"Is _this_ what's gotten you so worried?" Mai asked. "Ten extra locator cards given to you as a freebie?" Mai took them from me and threw them over her shoulder into the trash. "Hon, you really are an odd one. A good one, but an odd one."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, while scratching the back of my head – where'd the voice come from? Did I have some kind of crazy multiple personality disorder? Mai leaned back, oblivious to my pale expression, "Not most people would duel their way to the top if they already had a one-way meal ticket. That took some spine."

I shoved my worried thoughts to one side and brushed away her praise, "Oh, come on - I'm sure there's a lot of other people who would have done the same. Like Yugi, or Joey."

Mai blanched, "Please tell me you don't have Joey Wheeler as your role model!"

"Of course not!" I shouted, "I'm just saying..."

"Kiddo, listen," Mai sat up and turned to look at me. "I'm _trying_ to give you a compliment - and I don't give out many so you better be paying attention. You've got the talent, and I know you've got the heart. But it's okay to get a little advice once and a while. Did you see Joey duel during Duelist Kingdom? Yugi was so close to him and giving him so many tips they might as well have been in the same pants!"

"That's a strange a image," I commented, having to push the slightly bizarre picture out of my mind. "I see where you're going. But I just kind of feel like I'm cheating. If I get help from someone, it won't be _my_ strategy - it'll be theirs. And what right do I have to duel with the 'Big Boys' if I can't even come up with my own strategy? Hmmmm?"

"Okay then," Mai waved her hand towards my cards, "So, what _is_ your strategy?"

"Umm," I blinked, "Well, I don't actually have one..."

"Then I'll help you," Mai said matter of factly. She looked critically down at my cards, "We have a lot of work to do." I sat down next to her and for the next thirty minutes I absorbed everything that came out of her mouth.

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The duel with Keith Howard approaches...

Review... 'cause I'm still waiting for you in a dark alley... with a large shiny weapon...

**READER ALERT**: Guess what all my loverly readers! I now have a _picture of Elaine_, so now you guys can **go to my profile** and see what she looks like! (There's a link you can click on.) Tell me what you think...

**Jennifer**: Hmm... I'll think about your summary idea. I'm glad you like this – and that I made you happy. :)

**Juel Haruna**: I don't know whether I like doing action or dialog better – I'm always afraid that when Elaine gets talking with everybody then the plot drags and it gets boring... I don't mind that you write long reviews – in fact, I love it! You can write five paragraph reviews and I promise I won't yell at you – lol... Don't die? You think I'd kill my own OC? ... hmmm, that would make for an interesting plot twist now that I think about it... ;)

**HakuTenshi**: Thanks – though, I can't say this is too hard of work - lol

**person**: CURSE YOU PUPPY EYES!

**panmotto**: Shadi attacked Elaine cuz he's crazy like that. Plus he wears a turban... all people who wear turbans are _evil_! You never know what they're hiding up there... lol – okay, so there really _is_ a reason Shadi attacked Elaine, but you'll have to find out later...

**Atem's Queen of the Nile**: Excuses... excuses... -_clicks tongue_- But if you ever need ideas, I suggest listening to movie soundtracks, especially the action music. That's how I get some of my best scenes. :)  
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	25. Chapter 24

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 24: The Machine King

The next thing I knew I was facing Bandit Keith, the Continental Champion of North America, in the dueling arena. The high altitude made me feel a bit dizzy, I was used to sea level California air. Lucky for me the cool air helped to sharpen my senses. There was no way I was going to let some atmospheric conditions keep me from winning this duel!

Yami and the gang were watching from below to my right, and looked up at me with concerned eyes. On my left was Mokuba and Seto, both looked serious. Mokuba, I knew, was emulating his older brother and I grinned. Mai gave me a thumbs up and I waved at her. Marik was no where in sight, neither was Ishizu.

"Duel Five of the Battle City Tournament will now commence!" the referee called from the sidelines.

"Scared?" my opponent mocked as he activated his dueling disk. I thought of the strategy Mai and I had planned and smiled. "Nope."

"We'll see," Keith said, then he paused and said seriously, "May the best American win."

"I'll be sure to," I said, and drew my first five cards. Wingweaver looked up at me with a reassuring gaze, along with Monster Reborn and three other monster cards. I smiled – this was just what I needed to start out the duel. "I'll go first! I place one card face down, then I play Exchange! Okay Keith, let's see what you got."

Keith grumbled for a moment, then reluctantly walked out the the middle of the dueling arena where I met him. The magic card Exchange allowed me to choose one of Keith's cards from his hand and for him to choose one of mine in return. As the title said, it was an exchange. I was hoping something in this hand could help me take a few chunks out of his life points.

I could barely contain my glee when I saw Machine King in his hand. His most powerful machine – right there for the taking! I couldn't believe my luck. I quickly plucked it out of his hand. "I'll take that."

Keith growled and then snatched Wingweaver out of my hand. He snarled, "And I'll take _that_."

We glared at each other for a moment then returned to our spots. I couldn't help but feel ruffled. Keith now had my most powerful monster, my favorite monster. Then again, I had his favorite machine so I guess we were even.

"Alright," I began, looking at my cards carefully. Machine King was a level eight monster, I would have to sacrifice two monsters to bring it onto the field. Or, at least, that was the normal way to go about it. "I'll place one more card face down and active Card Destruction, my first face-down card!"

Keith looked at me, amused, as we both disposed of our hands and drew new cards. "Well, that was a waste. You just destroyed your only machine card. Do you even know what you're doing with that magic card?" He laughed.

I smirked, "Ever heard of a strategy before? I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Machine King – and with his 2200 attack points, you're going to be toast!" The Machine King shimmered into existence on my side of the field. Now every time Keith played one of his machine monsters my Machine King would gain 100 attack points! "Your turn."

Keith glared at me for a moment, then his body stiffened. Surprised, I started to ask him what was wrong until he quickly drew a card from his deck. He looked sick for a moment, but then his grim expression vanished. He said, "I play Jinzo #7 in attack mode and place three cards face down. Then I end my turn." Jinzo #7 materialized somewhat lazily onto the field. It only had 500 attack points to speak of, Keith had to be luring me into a trap.

"Hold on to your bandana!" I called and drew from my deck. I almost laughed aloud when I saw the card Remove Trap in my hand. "I play Red Archery Girl in attack mode, then I play the magic card Remove Trap!" I watched with satisfaction as an iron jaw smashed one of Keith's face down cards in two. It exploded into a million pieces like glass. I raised my hand, "Red Archery Girl, attack his Jinzo!"

"Not so fast!" Keith shouted. "You've activated my other face down card! Bulletproof!" The attack from my Red Archery Girl flew harmless by his Jinzo and Keith continued, "Don't even bother trying to attack with _my_ Machine King, Bulletproof makes my monsters impervious to all attacks for one entire turn. Sorry" – Keith smiled at me – "but no dice."

"Isn't that my line?" Duke asked loudly. Keith ignored him.

"But your attack didn't just activate Bulletproof," Keith went on. "It also activated my Rare Metalmorph!"

"Erm... that's nice," I said, trying to look cool. What on earth was a Metalmorph?

"It's a trap!" Keith shouted at me. I blinked, "What?"

"Well," he grinned. "Judging by your stupefied expression, I assume you don't know what my card is. It's a Permane_nt Trap, and it increases the attack strength of my Jinzo #7 by 500." I narrowed my eyes, what could he be up to?_

"And I care because why?" I demanded hotly. "In case you haven't noticed, that card only raised your Jinzo's attack points to 1000. And that's nothing compared to my monsters. The only thing you managed to do is postpone my Machine King's attack, big-whoop. I end my turn." Keith raised an eyebrow, but didn't respond.

"Alright, Elaine!" Keith snapped, "Let me show you how a real duelist plays!" He drew a card. "First, I summon Mechanical Chaser to the field in attack mode – Now, Jinzo #7, attack!" Mechanical Chaser, with it's 1850 attack points, was a threat to me and could easily take out Red Archery Girl. So why was Keith attacking me with Jinzo?

Jinzo launched across the field. I rolled my eyes and said with annoyance, "Are you deaf? Your Jinzo only has 1000 – UMPH!" I was thrown back as Jinzo rammed me in the chest.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Keith said. "Did I forget to mention Jinzo can attack your life points directly?"

I rubbed my stomach and watched as my life points drop to 3000.

"Watch yourself, Elaine," Yami called from my right. I nodded to show I heard him, but other than that I was too embarrassed to speak. Keith had known what he was doing all along.

"Mechanical Chaser!" Keith said loudly, "Destroy her Red Archery Girl, pronto!"

My Red Archery Girl disintegrated under Mechanical Chaser's attack with a wail and my life points dropped to 2550. Keith's life points still remained at 4000.

On that note, Keith ended his turn and I drew my next card. I had thought, by taking his Machine King, I'd be able to eat away at his life points and psych him out at the same time – but it didn't even seem to phase him!

And – hey! I had the most powerful monster on the field! Wasn't I supposed to be kicking _his_ butt?

"I place two cards face down," I said, thinking defensively, and stuck the cards into the slots of my dueling disk. Now that the duel was moving into second and third rounds, Keith was beginning to draw into the more powerful monsters of his deck – I had to take him out fast!

"I activate Malevolent Nuzzler and Reverse Trap!" I declared, flipping over my face down cards. Machine King's attack strenght rose 700 and was now standing tall with a total of 3100 ATK. I continued, "And because Reverse Trap reverses all the increases to attack and defense points of my opponent, your Jinzo's attack strenght falls to zero!"

"Machine King attack his Jinzo #7!" I cried. Jinzo exploded, and the force knocked Keith back several feet. His life points were now down to 900, and he finally looked rattled. I grinned – it wouldn't be long now, this duel was in the bag! I folded my arms and said, "How do you like the taste of your own monster, machine-boy?"

"Awesome move, Elaine!" I heard Mokuba shout. The gang cheered and I heard Mai laughing – probably at the now seething expression on Keith's face.

"So Keith," I said causally. "Scared yet?"

Keith's eyes flashed through his sunglasses, "No – but you will be soon."

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Mokuba watched Bandit Keith warily, even though Elaine had just wiped out most of his life points with a perfectly executed Magic Combo. Mokuba said softly, "He's really confident." He turned to his brother for some reassurance.

"Remember Mokuba, duels are 85 psychological and only 15 physical. Howard is using his attitude to psych Elaine out – see how he stands?" Kaiba asked, teaching.

"No, I don't mean-" Mokuba started, "Well, _yes_, I see how he's standing – but, I think something's _wrong._"

His older brother folded his arms thoughtfully. After a moment Kaiba narrowed his eyes, then suddenly he turned on his heel and his coat snapped out behind him. Mokuba blinked in surprise. "Seto?"

"I'll be back, Mokuba," Kaiba said over his shoulder. He walked into the elevator and disappeared from sight as the doors closed. Mokuba turned back to the duel, what had his brother seen that he hadn't?

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

"Alright," Keith said. "Now I use my Ultimate Offering card to summon two monsters to the field." As he said this his life points dropped to 450 and two machine monster appeared. "Then I'll sacrifice them to bring out the monster that will destroy you! Perfect Machine King!"

_Perfect_ Machine King? I thought. This couldn't be good. How many Machine Kings were there?

"Unlike your weaker King," Keith explained. "My Perfect Machine King has the starting attack points of 2700, and for every monster card on the field – it gets an extra 500!"

I felt my blood freeze. His Perfect Machine King had 3200ATK, enough to put me out of the duel! If Keith managed to destroy my Machine King I'd never be able to summon a monster strong enough to challenge his great machine, much less destroy it. I knew Yami had taught me never to put too much faith in one card – but, at the moment, it looked like Keith and I were going for the ultimate show down. Machine King vs. Machine King.

"So, _whose_ scared?" Keith asked mockingly. Mai shouted from below me, "Just keep your cool!"

I closed my eyes and concentrated. I slowly put my hand over my deck to draw a card. I whispered, "I could use a little help..."

Keith tapped his foot, "Are you going to draw your next card or not?"

I drew and almost laughed aloud. This was just what I needed to wipe out the rest of Keith's pathetic 450 LP! In my hand was a card Mai had given me especially for this duel.

"Say goodbye to your monster, Keith, because I play Riryoku!" I shouted. "For this turn I can decrease your monster's attack points by half, and then add them to my own monster's! Now – Machine King attack and destroy his Perfect Machine King!" Machine King now had an attack strenght of 4600 – not even an Ultimate Blue Eyes White Dragon could stand up against it!

My Machine King took several large steps in Keith's direction – then stopped short. Suddenly the Machine King exploded and I was thrown back by the wave of air. I blanched, "What did you do?"

"You activated my trap, Industrial Revolution," Keith leaned back on the railing behind him and smirked. I growled, "And what exactly does that do?"

"Industrial Revolution allows me to target one of your monsters to be destroyed, but the best part is the monster's total number of attack points are added directly to my life points, which means mine are now 5050," Keith stood back, observing my shocked face with grim satisfaction. "And you walked right into it with your Riryoku – I must say, that worked out _perfectly_."

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
If you Review maybe I'll update and show you what happens next...  
"Machine King" – after this duel I never want to write those words again! Argh!

I realize the picture of Elaine wasn't what most of you were thinking – but then again, I never really did give you guys a detailed description of her. I did that on purpose. I like people to form their own idea of the character's physical appearance. I figured that by now, so late in the story, it wouldn't ruin your own mental image if I showed you what I saw.

Just curious – but how do you guys imagine her?

**Wolfdemonness: CONGRADULATIONS! You're Crossover's 100th Reviewer!**  
Yea! 100 reviews! Let's party! -_starts break dancing_- PARTAY! -_notices no one else is break dancing_- What's wrong with you people? And why are you staring at me?  
In honor of being the 100th Reviewer I will now shower you, Wolfy, with chocolates, a random assortment of candies, and sugar cubes – because you can't have a party without sugar cubes.  
See! I'm not ignoring you! I just gave you a party! Don't worry about your last review sounding mad... you always sound mad. ;)

**Juel Haruna**: Yep – I'm proud to say I drew that. It's the first piece of anime I've ever tried, I was surprised how well it came out. Keith Howard is actually his real name – I know, it seems a bit plain for him... Keep the Reviews coming. :D

**panmotto**: I hope Elaine wins against Keith too, though I doesn't look like she's off to a good start... What? Did you think I'd actually tell you what happens? NEVER!

**Atem's Queen of the Nile**: Now that I think of it, I _can_ see her with blue hair... I hope the soundtrack idea helps. I use Van Helsing music, myself. Especially "Journey to Translavania."

**Jennifer**: That's for the compliments. :)

**person**: I update once a week! Isn't that fast enough for you? My fingers... their tips are bleeding... ahh! Glad you like this so far. If you any ideas or suggestions I'd love to hear them.

**teenyugiohpotterphantom**: Serenity still has her bandages on, I think. Erm... you can still have 'wide eyes' underneath the bandages...? Nevermind - lol  
As a new reviewer, tell me, is this too long of a story? Sometimes I feel like it's dragging on forever and ever...  
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	26. Chapter 25

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 25: The Machine King - Part II

I had 2550 LP, Bandit Keith had 5050 LP.

I was defenseless with no monsters on the field, my opponent had the Perfect Machine King.

"I'm so totally dead," I groaned. But the worst part was: it was Keith's turn. The American was reeking with confidence, and I knew what was coming next would either destroy me or mortally wound me.

"I play Cannon Soldier in attack mode," Keith shouted. "Now – attack her life points directly!"

I winced as, in one swipe, my life points dropped to 950.

"Stay strong, Elaine!" Yami shouted from the sidelines. "I know you can do this!"

Keith ignored Yami's comment and leered down at me, "Finish her off, Perfect Machine King!" The large monster launched across the field straight at me. He hasn't even considered my face down card.

"I activate the trap card, Waboku! Which means your attack was completely useless," I informed him. That had been too close...

"I end my turn," Keith said coldly. He folded his arms, waiting to see what I'd do next. I drew a card and looked closely at my hand. Yes! There was a way I could get out of this mess!

"First, I play Call of the Haunted which allows me to special summon one monster from my Graveyard to the field in attack mode!" I said, and I watched as the card rose eerily out of the arena floor. Keith growled, "I know what it does, will you just finish your turn already?"

"Don't be so eager to meet your doom," I called bravely, "For I bring back Wingweaver! Destroy his Cannon Solider!" With a shriek, Wingweaver burst to life on the field. Then in one swoop of her six great wings the Cannon Solider lay in ruins and Keith life points dropped to 3700. Because there were no more machines on the field Keith's monster's attack points dropped to 2700. My Wingweaver had an attack strenght of 2750.

I smirked, "Can the King of Machines stand up against the Queen of Fairies?" I watched Wingweaver with a certain amount of pride as she returned back into attack position at my side. "I end my turn."

"No more Mr. Nice Guy!" Keith snapped, eyes flashing dangerously, as he drew his next card. "I play the magic card Mort!"

I blinked in surprise, "Mort?" Not another special machine card!

"Mort – or what I like to call Bringer of Death," Keith brightened, obviously very pleased with his card. "This card allows me to inflict 1000 points of damage directly to my opponent's life points!"

"_What!_" I screamed. 1000 life points? I didn't _have_ 1000 life points! I heard Téa cry from behind me, "Oh no, Elaine!"

"Oh yes!" Keith grinned. "Your 950 life points are history, and the duel is mine!"

No, no, no! I closed my eyes in defeat. There was nothing I could do! My face down card was only a simple magic card, and Wingweaver had no special abilities. Keith had won fair and square – I had failed.

When I opened my eyes and looked at my duel disk, my heart sank. The life point count on the disk was dropping rapidly. Soon it would reach zero and I would be knocked out of the tournament. Keith would move on to the next round of the finals - with my Wingweaver in his deck.

How could I help Yami defeat Marik, now? How would I ever get home! I'd never see my family again! I'd be stuck here forever! This couldn't be happening!

"What? This is impossible!" Keith's wild scream brought my head up. I was shocked to find the dueling arena empty, the holo emitters on the sides of the field were dark. When I looked back at my duel disk I gasped – it was dead!

Keith turned on me and screamed, "What did you do?"

"_Me?_ I didn't do anything!" I shouted, shocked by Keith's outburst. I pointed to the referee, "Look at him!" The man on the sidelines blinked and looked around uncomfortably.

He began nervously, "Well, according to the tournament rules... erm..."

"I shut down the system."

I turned in surprise to see Seto Kaiba stride out of one of the elevators. He was glaring at Keith with the utmost dislike. Bewildered, I looked to Mokuba for an explanation, but he seemed as surprised as me. Seto strode up onto the arena.

"You have been disqualified," he said coldly, his blue eyes still locked on the man in front of me. He continued loudly, "for cheating." My mouth dropped open.

"KEITH YOU SNAKE!" Joey roared. I turned to Keith, still unable to believe it. I gasped weakly, "Wh-what?"

Mai growled, "That's low."

"You _cheated_ me?" I asked still starring at Keith, whose expression had suddenly become clouded. Two KaibaCorp employees had moved to either side of him and took his arms. Seto directed the men with a disgusted wave of his hand, "Get him out of here."

"Keith, why?" My voice was gray and hard. I felt a well of anger boiling up in my chest. I wanted to rip those sunglasses off his face and punch his head in! I was so mad my hands balled into fists and began to shake.

Keith looked up at me with hollow eyes. He whispered, "No friends, remember?"

"You worthless piece of - " I choked on my words I was so furious. There was no way I was going to feel pity for him! Not when he almost destroyed my only way to get home!

The men took Keith out of the dueling arena. I watched feeling a deep satisfaction at his humiliation. Joey was still keeping up his rant of insults, and Tristin was pounding his fist into his hand – mostly to show off for Serenity. Seto turned to the referee, "Ready the arena for the next duel." The ref. nodded and as the eldest Kaiba turned to leave, I came to my senses.

"Hey, Seto!" I called after him, my anger evaporating. Seto paused and turned his head so he was looking at me from over his shoulder. His look carried a certain amount of annoyance. Undaunted, I said, "Thanks."

"Whatever," Seto muttered, and then he left the arena. As I stepped down from the arena, Mai came to my side, "Bad luck, girl! Man, your first duel in the finals and you get thrown around by the sleaziest creep here." She glared at the door Keith had left through. "Once a cheater, always a cheater."

"I can't believe Seto even let him in," Mokuba piped up, coming over to stand by my side. He shook his head, sending his black hair flying. "Keith must be really stupid if he thought he could get away with cheating in my brother's tournament!" He looked up at me and said defiantly, "If he hadn't been cheating, you would have won! I know it!"

I was warmed by their words – but the warmth was drowned out by another overwhelming flood of anger. I saw red and my chest was so tight it hurt. Gasping, trying to see through my rage, I doubled over in pain.

"Elaine!" Mokuba shouted, and I felt Mai grab my arms. As soon as it had appeared the anger vanished. The sudden absence of emotion left me weak in my knees. I stumbled and would have fallen if Mai hadn't been holding me up. Mai tightened her grip on me, "We're going to see those doctors again."

"I... no!" I gasped, "I'm fine, really Mai! I just need to sit down." My insides were quivering in exhaustion, and I felt a dull panic growing in my stomach. Mokuba gasped, "Elaine, you're really pale!"

What was happening to me? The Pharaoh noticed my predicament, and was watching me with a frown. As soon as I saw Yami another wave of anger washed over me, but this one was much more intense than the others... I wanted to kill him...

"I should –" I stuttered as I pulled out of Mai's hands, "I better go." I retreated to the elevator, feeling Yami's eyes drilling into the back of my head.

"Elaine, where are you going?" I heard Mai cry. I pretended I didn't hear her. What was wrong with me! I saw Mokuba looking confused as the doors shut with a _snap_. Finally alone, I pressed my hands against my hot cheeks and breathed deeply. Why was I so angry all of a sudden? Why had I... I gulped as I forced myself to accept my thoughts... why had I wanted to kill the Pharaoh? He was my friend!

_I'm here... _it was the same eery voice, the same echo in the back of my mind. But this time it didn't seem so distant, it was closer and I felt it pulsing inside me. Pulsing with white cold anger.

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
Uh oh – Elaine's finally gone off her rocker... or has she? Oooh, a mystery!

I know that duel wasn't what you expected. You all expected Elaine to draw some all-powerful card out of her deck and have her kick Keith's butt, right? _Right?_

I've added another pic of Elaine (my red-haired version)! It's a side view of her face - kind of big though. The shadows on her hair were murder...

Please review! Man, I can't believe this thing has **25 chapters!**

**person: **Happy Birthday! - _does ritual birthday dance_ – Eat cake and be merry! And to spice things up a bit, I'll give you a cake with Yugi's head on it! But whatever you do, don't eat the hair! It's hard on the stomach... Fairy's Hand Mirror – hmmm... Elaine could have used that... lol

**Wolfdemonness:** Yay sugar! Yay Elaine flags! Oh, you don't always sound mad... I was just pulling your leg... or your paw... or whatever limbs demonnesses have... I don't think that's how you spell demonnesses – demonnessies? Ah! My brain!

**Juel Haruna:** No taunting at the moment, sorry! I hope my duels are okay – it's always so hard to come up with new combinations and strategies... You were my 103rd Reviewer – but even so, I still agree you're a nice person. :)

**Primevera Took:** _Insane Hobbits Rule the World!_  
Actually, I always imagined Elaine with longer hair (than what I drew). But drawing short hair is much easier... Obi-Wan could either be Elaine or Joey, in my opinion. I guess you'll have to read to find out! Erm... what Marik?

**teenyugiohpotterphantom:** Yes, Elaine just loves to walk into traps... cocky Americans... Well, I'm glad you like long stories! I was hoping to finish this by the end of the summer – don't think that's gonna happen.

**Yuka Kitsune:** Glad you like it so far! I hope it just gets better and better!  
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	27. Chapter 26

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 26: In this Together

I practically ran to the medical room. The voice was still echoing about my thoughts and I was definitely freaking out.

Was it possible that the turban guy or Marik had something to do with the voice inside my head? I skidded to a halt as I came to the door. I knew modern science couldn't do anything about _magic_, but I also wanted to make sure that - just in case - I wasn't truly mad.

As I walked in my worries and concerns vanished. My knees grew weak and my eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing. In front of me, laying in white beds, were three very pale figures. I walked up to the bed nearest to me, on it was Rex Raptor.

"It's terrible, isn't it," Yugi said softly from the door. A part of me was annoyed that he had followed, but the rest of me was too shocked at the sight before me to care. In front of my eyes, laying in white beds, were three very pale people. Horrified, I walked up to the bed nearest to me, on it was Rex Raptor.

"What happened here?" I gasped as my gaze went from Rex to Bakura to Odion. Yugi was replaced by the Pharaoh. He said, "Marik – and the power of the Millennium Rod."

Marik had done all this while I was asleep! Impossible!

"Mai had said she didn't want to worry me," I whispered. It was true; Mai _had_ mentioned Marik had been up and about, but she had never hinted at anything like this!

Yami sighed, "Marik was very restless during the time you were out, as were we all. Bakura had been plotting with Marik, but I turned his own shadow game against him. Weevil is another of Marik's pawns, he dispatched of Rex easily. But the duel between Joey and Odion was the hardest... Joey won in the end and Marik's evil side was finally set free."

"Great..." I said dully. Now there were _two_ Marik's? This was just what the doctor ordered: Three coma patients with an extra helping of evil villain! I suddenly felt the anger welling up inside me. But this time it was I who was my own anger. Hands balling into fist, I turned and left the room.

"Elaine?" Yami called, but I ignored him. Marik was out of control! Someone had to do something!

I turned the corner and almost body slammed Ishizu. She caught me. "Ah, Kamishla..."

"You!" I growled. "Your brother is insane!"

"My brother is inside you!" Ishizu said. I pulled out of her grip and glared at her. I said hotly, "Inside me? What is that - some kind of metaphor?"

_She means that literally, you idiot..._

I froze, it was that voice in my head again! My blood drained from my face – wait just one minute! I thought hard, remembering the moment I had awoken in the medical room four hours ago. Ishizu had just her hands on my head... bright light...

I shouted, "Ishizu, what is going on?" Marik couldn't be inside my head! Not _my_ head!

_Calm down before you rupture a blood vessel and kill yourself._

"Please Kamishla," Ishizu said quickly and she led me into an empty room, "Let me explain."

I wanted to throttle Ishizu and her calm persona, but if she was finally going to explain herself, I wasn't going to stop her. Ishizu, after checking the hallway for anyone, shut the door behind her and locked it. I suddenly felt out numbered.

The Egyptian woman stood facing the door for a long moment, then she left out a heavy sigh and turned to face me. "When the new Marik formed he tried to destroy my brother's soul. I managed to contain him with my magic, but to survive he needed a host."

I froze at her words. A host? Was that all I was now? Some random body to be used like a storage cupboard! I growled, "And you picked me! Why didn't you just use yourself - he's _your_ brother!"

Ishizu said calmly, "I couldn't take in his soul without risking it would become merged with my Millennium Item."

I blinked, "You mean, like Bakura's spirit?"

"Yes," Ishizu said with a sad nod. "I chose you because I knew you were strong, because I knew I could trust you."

Oh this was just great! Marik inside my mind and thoughts! I glowered, I didn't want Marik anywhere near my thoughts! 'My thoughts' as in MINE! And what about my _private_ thoughts? I squirmed as I pictured Marik looking through my greatest hopes and fears like a book.

_Don't worry, my dear_, I could hear him smirking, _I wouldn't do that unless I was really bored. And, by the way, I go by Malik now._

Furious, I struck back the only way I knew how. "So you're _Mal_ik, huh?" I nodded as though thinking. "Oh I see. He gets the R for ruthless, and you have an L for loser. Is that right?"

_Why you little - !_

"I suggest that you two learn to cooperate," Ishizu said with a tinge of amusement. "You have a long time of partnership together." Then she turned and left the room, once again leaving me full of questions rather than answers.

"Perfect," I muttered sarcastically. Then I asked, turning to my new companion, "So it's your anger I'm feeling?"

Malik paused for a moment, then he said,_ Unfortunately, yes. You will either learn to adapt to these new emotions and control them, or they will control you._

Well that didn't sound good. On the bright side I knew I wasn't insane... or was I? Doesn't having two people inside one head qualify for insanity?

_I have more..._

"Uh oh," I groaned, "Please tell me I'm not going to have any weird male urges..."

_Silence!_ Malik shouted at me. _This is no laughing matter! You must be very careful. Now that you have my soul inside your body, Marik will be attracted to you..._

"EW!" I exclaimed, my eyes widening, "You can't be serious! That's disgusting!"

_Not in that way, you imbecile!_ Malik snapped. _He will be attracted to you because he is attracted to me. We were once one full soul and so Marik can sense my presence, if only on a subconscious level. He will be drawn to you, but he will not know why._

"Oh great," I said sarcastically, "This is just what I need."

Suddenly, the new potential of my situation hit me. Maybe this_ was_ exactly what I needed. A small thought gathered at the back of my mind:

Malik was sharing my body, and he was sharing my thoughts, and it was about time he shared the reason why he brought me here in the first place!

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-_gasp_- Will Elaine finally learn why Malik brought her into Yu-Gi-Oh? Will Marik crush Mai like a pretzel stick? Will Mokuba spontaneously turn into a mule?

You'll have to read the next chapter to find out! And for me to update with the next chapter you'll have to review! So why are you just sitting there?

**Atem's Queen of The Nile**: Yeah – the Heart of the Cards is way too over used...

**Yuka Kitsune**: That's okay – I don't mind cheesy reviews. :D I'm glad you love it – any suggestions for what I could do better?

**person:** Hmm... Elaine punching out the Pharaoh? Ooo – I could see that. :)

**Primevera Took**: About Marik – you were right on the money! ... I was just being crafty and trying to confuse you! ('Cause I'm evil like that.) Yeah, I thought Keith winning by cheating would give Elaine a taste of losing, without her actually losing... did that made any sense?   
Yay! Someone liked my picture! Thankie!

**Wolfdemonness**: As you can see now, Elaine's psycho-self doesn't have any relation to Bakura. However... Elaine does have a bit of a connection to our favorite Thief King, which will become apparent later on... so you must sit in suspense for now. :)  
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	28. Chapter 27

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 27: Deal with the Devil

Now was my chance to finally get some answers! There was no way Malik could escape me! We _were_ stuck in the same body after all.

"Okay Malik," I said. "It's about time you - "

_I was surprised at how you left poor Mai Valentine up there... after your duel with Howard._

I blinked. I had been expecting him to try to change the subject, but not to something like _that_. Frowning I asked, "What do you mean?"

_Well_, Malik said with a smirk, _Her duel with Marik is coming up next. And even that pathetic Wheeler knows Valentine is going to lose her soul once and for all._

I grabbed my chest, stunned. I said, "How can you say that!"

_Oh please, Marik has my deck, my brains, and my Egyptian God Card._ I could see Malik counting off his fingers, he continued, _Pretty little Mai Valentine is about to... what's the American phrase? Ah yes, bite the dust._

I growled under my breath. My questions would have to wait. Malik was right, Mai was in a trouble... unless I could convince her not to duel. But how could I do that?

---------------------------

"You can't duel Marik!" I shouted, waving my arms, "He's completely psycho!"

"Psycho," Mai repeated skeptically. She sat on her bed, cross-legged, watching me as I paced back and forth across the floor of her room. Her cards were laid out on the coffee table, along with some empty soda cans that made me think more of Joey than of Mai. The way her cards were lined up in perfectly straight little piles I knew she had been planning a strategy before I arrived. If she had been dueling anyone other than Marik, I would have offered to help her out.

"Yes!" I said, "Psycho - as in, soon your soul and all you hold dear will be mine! Mwa ha ha ha!"

I felt Malik bristle, _I_ _do not speak like that!_ I ignored him and watched Mai's face. It was what I was afraid of, she thought I was a raving lunatic.

"I don't think so, Elaine," Mai chuckled. "Nice evil laughing, though."

I sighed exasperated - Mai wasn't taking any of this seriously! And she _needed_ to take this seriously, if not she'd be the next one on those white cots!

Mai patted my shoulder, "I can take care of myself, hon."

I thought desperately for a way to convince her. I said quickly, "Remember when Weevil called Yugi a Pharaoh? Right before we boarded the blimp?"

Mai nodded, "Yeah."

"That's because Yugi _is_ a Pharaoh!" I said, "Marik's trying to get Yugi for his power, and he'll squash anyone who gets..." My voice faded when I saw Mai's expression.

"Riiiight," Mai said. She snorted, "Pharaoh of the Japanese Dwarf Assembly..."

_Good job, Murphy._ Malik said in the back of my mind with a chuckle, _Now you're really convincing her._

"It's not funny!" I protested at Mai while mentally telling Malik to shove his comments up his butt where they belonged. I started to open my mouth again, but Mia raised a hand for silence. Now she just looked irritated, "I appreciate that you're worried about me, Elaine. But I'm not going to be friends with someone who holds me back."

I froze at her words. It would have hurt less if she had thrown daggers. I asked softly, "Is that what you think I'm doing?"

Mai looked at me for a long moment and then said bluntly, "Yes."

_Aww_, Malik cooed, _Did little Valentine hurt your feelings?_

I closed my eyes to block out the tears, mostly from Malik's taunting rather than from Mai's complete faithlessness in our friendship. At least, I had thought it was a friendship. Confused and hurt, I backed out of the room. "I - I better be going." I turned and quickly walked through the doorway.

Was _that_ how Mai thought of me? As though I was another person standing in her way? I headed towards my room, feeling depressed. If Mai thought I was trying to hold her back, she would never be persuaded to see Marik as the dangerous madman he was.

_You're giving up?_

"No," I said with a touch of anger. "But I can't force Mai to see..." I froze when I saw Téa watching me from across the hall. I realized it must look like I was talking to myself. I blushed, she must think I'm mad!

_Probably_, Malik said with a chuckle. I ignored him and waved. "Hi Téa! I'm just... ah - having problems with my door! Yes! Uh... Stupid door!" I hit the door with my fist for emphasis. "Uh - I'm gonna go inside now, bye!"

As I quickly shut the door behind me I could feel Malik laughing his head off. I growled, "This is all your fault! Thanks a lot!"

It was a little strange arguing with someone inside my head. I didn't know where to throw my insults. Should I mutter them under my breath or shout at the ceiling?

_Who? Me?_ Malik asked innocently. I was about to shout at him when he said seriously, _I can teach you to come inside your mind and speak with me, if you wish._

"Inside?" I brightened up considerably. I raked my memory, wasn't that how Yugi and Yami communicated? Could I really do something like that without a Millennium Item?

_Yes_, Malik said, amused. _Simply remove yourself from your body. Focus your energy inside - clear your mind._

Feeling foolish, I closed my eyes and did as the Egyptian instructed. Taking a few deep breaths I pushed aside my fears and worries. My thoughts slowed to a trickle, then ceased completely. I floated in the emptiness of my mind and waited for something to happen. Nothing did. I opened my eyes, "I don't think it - WHOA!"

Malik was standing in front of me, exactly as I remembered him - at least, almost exactly. He was in the same lavender shirt, and he had on the same assortment of gold bracelets and arm bands. His face was still that of a cold and hardened criminal, but his eyes lacked the same fire and anger they had before.

Turning from him, I looked around. My mouth fell open in awe. It was like standing in space. The black expanse seemed to stretch on forever. Lightly colored mists hovered in the far distance. The utter silence made my breathing seem like thunder. What was this place?

Malik was grinning at me. "Are you pleased?"

"Very!" I gasped. I looked down at myself. Like Malik, I appeared normal - I was even wearing the same clothes. I had everything but the kitchen sink and my duel disk.

Malik folded his arms and leaned back against seemingly nothing. I thought hard, Can you hear me? When Malik didn't respond I couldn't help but smile. I was finally myself again.

"So what - where are we?" I asked aloud, motioning to the darkness surrounding us. It wasn't scary enough to be the shadow realm.

"Welcome to the Twilight Zone," Malik said, his lips twitching up at the corners. I rolled my eyes and he shrugged and looked lazily about himself, "We're in your mind. I thought this would be an easier way to communicate; in these forms our thoughts and feelings won't influence each other."

"Speaking of communicating," I said quickly, "Who was that Egyptian who attacked me?"

Malik sighed, "Ah yes, dear Shadi."

"Shadi?" I said, thinking. I remembered him from my Yu-Gi-Oh trivia. "The protector of the Milleniuum Items?"

"More like meddling fool," Malik said. Suddenly he was out of his leaning position and taking a few steps towards me. I opened my mouth to ask why Shadi would want to attack me, but Malik was already speaking. "I brought you here to make a deal."

I sensed a trap. Narrowing my eyes I said, "Yeah?"

"Don't look at me like that, Murphy," Malik said, annoyed. "You'll like this." He turned serious, "Let me possess your body during Valentine's duel - "

"No way!" I shouted. Malik held up a hand, "I'm not finished. Give me control of your body and I can help your little friend defeat Marik." I brought my head up so fast my neck popped. Malik smirked, "Yes, I thought you might be interested."

"How?" I demanded.

"When in control of your body I can use my connection with Marik and the reminances of the Rod's magic to weaken and distract him," Malik explained. "With his attention divided, he will be unable to summon my Egyptian God Card, and without Ra Marik won't know what to do."

"And you expect me to believe that?" I scoffed. "Just five minutes ago you were telling me Mai was history!"

A muscle in Malik's jaw twitched. After a while he grumbled, "I was only saying that - "

"Because you're a over confident, self-centered jerk!" I finished for him. What a creep! I waited for him to make a dense, but Malik did the last thing I expected him to do. He grinned and said mildly, "Well - look's like you've figured me out, Murphy. You win a gold star for effort."

Why couldn't I have been sharing my body with someone less annoying? Like Hitler... or Vlad Tepes... or Osama bin Laden?

"Fine, back to business," I said. "You'll distract Marik so Mai has a fighting chance. What's the catch?"

His eyes grew dark. "Whatever happens, Murphy, you have to promise me you'll do whatever I ask."

I raised an eyebrow, "I don't think so, Malik. You're doing this for _yourself_. In fact, _I'd_ be the one helping _you_ by lending my body! You should be doing _me_ favors!"

He shrugged. "Suit yourself, if you do not agree, I'll just sit back and watch Marik destroy Valentine with ease. Who knows? I've never seen her go through a Shadow Game before, it might be fun." He closed his eyes and smiled at the thought. When he opened his eyes he smirked, "So, do we have a deal?"

I felt trapped. This may be the best chance Mai had to win the duel! But what if Malik failed? Mai would be lost in the Shadow Realm and I would have to do anything he asked! I ground my teeth in frustration, "It better not be anything inappropriate."

"I'm an Egyptian," Malik said hotly. "Unlike you Americans, we have a sense of honor!" I watched him, looking for the hidden grin or the malicious glint in his eyes.

"Alright Malik, you've got yourself a deal." I said grimly. I hoped I wasn't selling my soul to the devil.

Malik nodded to me, looking pleased with himself. He was about to speak when he froze and tilted his head like a dog, sensing. I stood up straighter and strained my ears. Malik knew more about souls and minds than I probably ever would. If he was on his guard it would be for a good reason.

"Téa Gardener has just entered the room," he said, concentrating. "She's saying that Mai's duel is starting." Malik turned his eyes to me, waiting.

I sighed and then nodded. "Do your stuff."

The quiet of my mind vanished in the blink of an eye. Everything was at once in motion around me, changing and shifting. Something rose around me - Malik's conciencness. It came out of the corners, growing like ivy, slowly taking over. I fought the urge to fight back, forcing myself to lower my defenses. Everything went blank. I shivered and wondered if this was what Yugi had to deal with all the time.

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**READER****ALERT! READER ALERT! READER ALERT!**  
SCHOOL HAS STARTED FOR ME!

The first day back I had to write an essay, do a physics lab, and other mindless work all for homework! Would someone please shoot me? I'm trying to write (creative stuff) for an hour every night, but so far I've only been able to do that once. I have no idea when I will be able to update, or how long those future updated chapters will be. Plus, I won't have the time to make as many corrections/revisions as I normally do.The only thing I can say is, the more reviews I get the more motivated I will be to write. That's just the plain truth of it. 

It was just brought to my attention the fanfiction banned responses to reviews... but it you don't tell anybody I won't. ;) Though, I do admit, my responses are taking up a lot of space – so I'll try this:

**Wolfdemonness** and **Atem's Queen of The Nile**: That whole Mokuba/mule thing was just a result of my craziness. :)

**Juel Haruna**, **teenyugiohpotterphantom**, **plutobaby494**, **anorethunbound**, and **panmotto**: Thanks for all the reviews – I the love the support :D I think I addressed the whole 'update soon' chant with my previous paragraphs of school is evil. (Which it is!) Hopefully this story will keep chugging away...

**person**: I love Rock, Paper, Scissors! Maybe I'll use that... I'm confused. Who is Elaine supposed to punch/kick? Malik or Yami?

**Primeveratook**: I wouldn't call having Malik stuck inside your head as having a yami, but I guess that's one way to look at it. :) Ahhh... Bakura, Bakura... I'll give you one hint: The Millennium Ring will, in the future, have as much importance – maybe _more_ importance – to Elaine as it does to its current owner. (But that won't pop up until much later on, so you'll have to wait!)  
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	29. Chapter 28

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 28: Mai's New Look

I had a vague idea of what was happening around me. My body was moving, people were speaking to me, and I seemed to be smiling and responding naturally. Malik was a good actor.

_What's going on?_ I asked him. _Has the duel started yet?_

"It's starting," Malik whispered "However, I will have to wait for Marik to activate the Millennium Rod before I can form the connection."

I nodded and sunk back farther into the dark corners of my mind. There was no way I was going to distract Malik now. This was not going to fail because of me.

"And the Shadow Game begins," Malik said softly. "Here it goes."

At first all was quiet. Events happened around me in a dull buzz. Seconds passed, followed by minutes and hours. A day - a hundred days - could have passed. Time had no meaning to me. Curled up in a small ball, I waited for Malik to return with warming news of victory and triumph.

It was then that I felt something spliter. Like the straining of wood under pressure, I felt Malik throwing himself, his mind, into a blinding white connection of magic. Thoughts from both ends hit me like a brick. I tumbled through a sea of emotion and determination. Marik was a being born of anger, but he was tired - weakened from the dueling. The fight was on, and Marik was losing.

It was surging and pulsing - pure energy and power was flowing through me.

And then Malik cracked.

_NO!_ I cried, _I can't let this happen!_

All around me the light was fading, receding, disappearing, discentragating. A loud sucking noise was in my mind, and I could hear Malik crying out in agony. Marik's anger was too strong!

I did the only thing I could do. I threw myself into the connection. Using my mind and my soul as a strengthening tie, I emptied all my strenght and all my might into Malik. The light grew and I could feel Malik's renewed strenght pulsing once again. Together we could stop his evil!

---------------------------

The Winged Dragon of Ra loomed above the field. Even Kaiba gasped in awe as the great beast spread it's wings and gave a cry that hadn't been heard in a thousand years.

"Stop this madness!" Yami shouted, his voice almost drowned out by the dragon's roar.

Marik leered across the dueling arena at Mai, "The madness has just begun." Mai groaned, her head only raising slightly as she hung cuffed to the Sacred Stone of Ota.

"STOP THE DUEL!" Joey shouted, "Your grudge is with me, Marik! Leave her alone!"

"Quite right, Wheeler," Marik laughed and licked his lips, "But I'm just having a bit of - "

Marik suddenly stopped, his eyes widening in surprise, as he lurched forward in pain. For a moment he stumbled, only managing to right himself when he grabbed the railing behind him.

Then Ra, the greatest of all the Egyptian Gods, began to waver and fade. The golden luster surrounding the beast started to vanish - like it was being drained. Flickering in and out of existence, Ra raised its head in a loud screech that pierced the night air.

All those watching the duel threw their hands over their ears, wincing as the noise threatened to overwhelm them.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Joey shouted, hands clamped around his ears. The sound was so intense it was physically hurting them. It sounded like screaming.

---------------------------

**_BANG!_**

In one huge explosion I was flung out of the connection and back into the dark confines of my mind. I was drained - exhausted, but had it worked?

_**BANG!**_The lightness vanished, replaced by glimmering shadows and large eyes. Marik had called upon the power of his Millennium Item.

_MALIK!_ I screamed as I felt another **_BANG_** slam into my mind. Though our minds were seperate, I could feel him withering. Suddenly Malik was there - back in my mind. He stumbled and then fell into my arms.

"Malik!" I cried in horror. Blood was running from his nose and foaming on his lips. His skin was like alabaster, almost translucent. I shook him, "Malik! Wake up! Talk to me!" I shook him harder. "What happened out there! Malik!"

Malik coughed, "You shouldn't have..." His voice shuttered, then died. His head slowly slumped forward onto my chest and I groaned.

Shouldn't have what? Was this my fault?

Then I felt someone slam into my physical body, bringing me back to my conscience state. I took control of my body in a panic - there was nothing I could do for Malik, but Mai...

I blinked, disoriented. "Wha?" I had opened my eyes just in time to see a mop of blonde hair fly past my face.

Joey. He had jumped up onto the dueling arena and was now pulling at Mai, shackled to some sort of tablet. Ra was rearing up behind Malik - preparing to attack.

"No!" I groaned. "Mai!"

"Stop this Marik!" Yami shouted next to me. Then he too darted forward, throwing himself over the railing and then standing with arms wide.

As I realized what he was about to do I shouted, "No Yami - don't!" I raced forward and made it halfway up the railing when Ra attacked.

"Argh!" The blast picked me up and threw me back - _hard_. My vision exploded with white stars as I was flung onto the metal floor. When the light cleared, I was too dazed to get up.

"I should have you all disqualified!" Seto was growling, but no one seemed to be paying attention.

"Yami!" I gasped, climbing to my feet. On the arena, Joey looked torn. There was Mai on his right and Yami on his left. My stomach turned when I saw Mai. If her chest hadn't been moving I would have thought she was dead. It was like looking at Malik, only there wasn't any blood.

"Yugi!" Téa cried, and soon all the friends were on the arena, crowding around their fallen companions. I shuffled up the stairs, my ears still ringing. Marik was laughing in Joey's face. "Look at your pathetic little friend - I should send him to the Shadows right now!"

Joey growled, "You'll pay for this, Marik!" Then in one fast movement he lunged at the Rod wielding Egyptian.

"No!" Tristin shouted, grabbing Joey back by the back of his shirt. Duke grabbed the blonde's arm as he struggled to get free. I said quickly, "Joey, if Marik sends your mind to the Shadow Realm it won't help Mai or Yugi! Calm down!"

Truth be told, I felt like attacking Marik too. I could still feel Malik groaning inside of me and Mai was staring blankly towards the stars with empty eyes. Joey sent Marik one last glare, then shook off Duke and Tristin.

"Now she's lost in the Shadows forever," Marik grinned, but this time he looked directly at me. "With every second that passes they devour her."

It was the closest I had ever been to Malik's evil counterpart. He wore all black, and a dark purple cape was gathered around his shoulders, flapping in the wind. Like the eyes of Shadi, Marik's contained no pupils. They were dark blue, it was looking into a deep pool of still water. And underneath that still water was a beast that fed on pain and fear.

I looked down at Mai and Yami and then turned my eyes back to Marik. "I never liked them anyway."

Marik chuckled as he also looked down at them. "Your feigned indifference does not fool me, my dear. Your friend's mind has been eradicated, and the Pharaoh's will follow."

"Not if I 'eradicate' your mind first," I said.

Marik turned his blue eyes onto me. "Don't be so eager to share their fate, little girl. Your time will come."

I heard Serenity and Téa gasp softly behind me. Marik laughed at their expressions and then he started to leave, his cape snapping behind him. But, as I turned back to Yugi and Mai, he froze. His back stiffened, it seemed like he was sensing something. The gang behind me exchanged glances, but I was so scared I couldn't move. Suddenly, Marik turned back around and his blue eyes locked on me. My breath caught in my throat... he knows!

Marik's eyes narrowed, not in anger, but in confusion.

"You," he said the word so softly it came out as a hiss. _He will be drawn to you, but he will not know why..._ Malik's words came back to haunt me.

I held Marik's gaze, and forced myself to look calm. If Marik ever discovered that Malik was inside me, I'd be toast!

"Are you ever going to get off the arena, or are you too busy having a staring contest?" Seto said dryly from the sidelines. Marik, thankfully turning his eyes from me, faced Seto, chuckled, and then left.

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Well, that didn't work too well...  
Yay, I updated on time! All should bow before my awesome updating powers! But anyways...

**anorethunbound**, **plutobaby494**, **Primevera Took**, **Atem's Queen of The Nile, Lady Nicky**, and **panmotto**: Thanks for the reviews! Yes, you should all pity me because I'm in school and have 5 billion assignments. But I promise to keep updating :)

**HakuTenshi**: -_eyes rifle and backs away slowly_-

**person**: 'Meh'? What is this 'meh'? And just so you know, Malik is always up to something. Yes, I will probably have Elaine beat the pulp out of the Pharaoh, but that won't be for a long, long, long time... (in the galaxy far away, where little prunie green men fight with glow sticks)

**teenyugiohpotterphantom**: I love long reviews – they make me feel warm and fuzzy inside! No fanfiction or TV on the weekdays? That stinks... I never watch TV anymore... I didn't even see the 3rd season of Yu-Gi-Oh...

**i love writing**: An 8/10? What can I do better to get the extra two points? More action? More dialogue? Less dialogue? Less subplots? Different word choice? More humor? Any suggestions would be immensely helpful.  
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	30. Chapter 29

**HakuTenshi**: Thought I'd address your review before the chapter begins so you won't still be in the dark. MALIK (L) is the good one – MARIK (R) is psycho evil boy. When they were both the same person they were called Marik, but the good Marik decided to change his name to Malik so there'd be no confusion. Of course, their names are so simular we all get confused anyway... Hope that helps. 

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 29: A Waking Nightmare

The following events merged together in my brain as one big blur. Maybe I just was refusing to accept it, or perhaps it was because I had almost lost the other half of my mind, but for whatever reason the next five hours passed like a dream. Some men in suits took Mai away on a stretcher, put her onto a white bed next to Rex and Bakura, and stuck an IV into her arm and electrical nodes on her arms and forehead - plugging her into the monitoring machines like an electrical toothbrush.

I remember myself sitting at the edge of Mai's bed, watching her bleakly. The Pharaoh was standing beside me with grave dignity, staring down at Mai with a mixed look of sorrow and failure. Joey and Serenity were also there, along with Tea. When Yami turned to leave he touched my arm. It was the merest brush of his hand, but it was enough to let me know I was still there, still alive.

Ishizu found me in my room later - concerned about Malik. Using her own magic she managed to heal most of the wounds, but as I suspected, only time would heal Malik and myself completely. The backlash of magic had injured me as well - only apparent by the dull buzz in my ears.

I returned my thoughts to the present and tried to get some rest. The combined effects from Shadi's attack, my duel with Keith, and my most recent adventure with magic left me exhausted. All I wanted to do was sleep, but I couldn't get the faces of all those whom Marik had mind wiped out of my head. Every time I closed my eyes to go to sleep their own dead eyes appeared in my dreams, dull and hollow. And now Mai's eyes were added to the group.

It was already past midnight and I knew that sleep was out of the question, even if I did have another round of finals approaching. Malik could only comfort me so much with his words. My body was tried, but my mind was active.

_Quit pacing, Murphy,_ Malik said drowsily. His voice was still weak, _You're making me dizzy!_

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Elaine?" I demanded distractedly. That foul Marik was probably curled in his bed, sleeping peacefully and dreaming with pleasure of the horrors Mai must be going through! How I wanted to bestow some horrors on him...

_If I call you Elaine will you go to sleep?_ Malik growled. _I can't fall asleep if my body and half of my mind is running around!_

"It's _my_ body, in case you've forgotten," I snapped. Even though I couldn't see him physically, I could tell Malik was rolling his eyes, _Go outside and get some fresh hair before you bite your own head off. I will not be pulled into some pointless argument with you - did you listen to Ishizu at all? I need to rest - now, goodnight._ Malik's thoughts left me. I punched the stand of my bed in anger, so frustrated with my own helplessness. It wasn't fair, I had to be able to do _something!_ Even if I didn't have one of their precious Millennium Items! I didn't need a hunk of magic gold to make me a good fighter.

With a now stinging hand, and a new rage in my blood, I decided to take Malik's advice. I knew it was his anger flowing through me, but I didn't have the heart to hold it back. How could he live with this beast inside himself? All I wanted to do was break something. Marching heavily through the halls in large PJ over-shirt I stole out of the blimp's laundry room, I found one of the elevators to the dueling arena. Taking it all the way to the top I entered into the fresh night air. At once I felt calmer; there was a hint of sea and ocean in the air - just enough to remind me of home. There was not a cloud in the sky and the stars watched and winked down at me from their places in the heavens. Everything here in this place and at this time was peaceful, even the soft hum of the engines was soothing.

I leaned my elbows over the railing and looked across the inky blackness that was the night. In the distance I could see a soft glowing, the anime Japan. With a sigh, I leaned my head back so the light breeze could blow through my hair. How I wished to speak to Yami. It seemed like ever since we had entered this blimp I had been unable to talk to him once, and I _really_ needed to talk to him. I needed to hear reassuring words, and that deep Pharaoh voice he got when drawing on the Puzzle's power wouldn't hurt either. I had half the mind to find his room through one of the computers and pay him a night visit.

"Mugh."

I froze slightly as I hear a groan coming from behind me. I turned, expecting to find Joey or Tristin grinning at me from behind some stupid mask, but there was no one. Annoyed I called, "Haha, very funny. Don't you guys have better things to waste your time on?"

With all the horrible stuff that had been happening, this was a very poor joke.

"Mugh, ah grrrumm." the voice was coming closer, and over the voice I could hear the scratching of shuffled feet on the cold metal floor.

"Okay - not funny anymore," I said nervously. "You can come out now!" But the owner of the voice did not come out, instead it got louder. The moaning rang through out the arena, making it impossible to determine the direction the noises were coming from. I felt a little well of panic as I scanned the deck warily, standing up on tip toes to peek a look at the raised dueling platform.

"Mugh-ahhhhh." I whirled around wildly. The moaning was so close I could almost feel the breathing on the back of my neck. It seemed like it was all around me and I stifled the urge to start screaming. I could make a run for it - to one of the elevators! There was only a 50 - 50 chance of me running into the moaner. But then, what if the moaner was in the elevator?

"Eee-eeeee!" I shivered as I tried to brush the scary thoughts from my mind. Desperate, I shouted shrilly, "COME OUT RIGHT NOW!"

"Mupft, ah grummmm ma - mwa." I froze, training my ears on the sound of the moaning. They would have to come around the dueling platform to get to me and then they would have to take at least four or five steps, and even if they had climbed onto the platform they would be forced to get back over the railing to get to me. Either way I'd still have a few steps running start.

"Mwa ha ha ha!" I turned as the moaning grew into one boisterous laugh and saw the culprit. Furious I shouted at him, "Marik, you terd!"

Yes, Marik - why hadn't I thought of that earlier? - shuffled around the corner in a night shirt and bare feet. His eyes were alight and a eery grin was spread over his face. Oh, how I hated him! He had sacred me to death, and he knew it!

"Dang it, Marik!" I shouted at him, still furious. "You -! You -!" My insults choked in my throat, and the only thing I managed to do was sputter. Embarrassed at myself and my fear I finally snarled, "What do you want?"

Instead of stopping and insulting me, as I thought he would, the evil Marik continued to shuffle towards me with bright eyes. I rolled my eyes and snorted, "It was scary for the first five seconds, Marik, now it's just stupid. Drop it." I folded my arms and leaned against the railing, watching him. Was he going to attack me? I couldn't see a dueling disk on his arm, but then again he really didn't need one. He had the Millennium Rod.

Marik paused, stood stiffly for a moment and then started to sway with the wind. Slowly he rocked back and forth, his spiked hair blowing around his face and making him look like he was in flames. Then the grin on his face grew wider and he took some more shuffling steps in my direction. The Egyptian walked as stiffly as a board, his body rigid and unnaturally straight which made him seemed even taller than normal. Each step was dangerously unbalanced and he staggered side to side. As I watched him move awkwardly, a grin spilled onto my face. I said laughingly, "I think this is what we call _overacting_."

Before I could say another word, Marik threw out his arms and tried to grab me.

I jumped out of the way - though I really didn't need to. He was still several steps from my position and wouldn't have brushed me with his finger tips even if I had stayed standing perfectly still. I looked at him incrediously, not knowing what to make of the whole thing. "What is your problem?"

Marik grunted once, then groped forward where I had once been standing. I was too fascinated at his bizarre behavior to move. He felt the air with his hands, as though certain I was still standing there and he had only just missed me. Then, dropping his arms in defeat, he threw his head back and roared. I stumbled backwards and tripped over my own feet, falling heavily to the floor. I stared at Marik with wide eyes, what was he? Some kind of freak werewolf? I climbed to my feet, fear making me clumsy. Then Marik's eyes locked on to my own, and it was then that I knew something was terribly wrong. His eyes were glowing with an unnatural luster, but were large and pupiless - blank and hollow.

"ARR!" Snarling, Marik came barreling towards me. His arms out stretched and his hands like claws.

I screamed and frantically ran towards the elevator. I felt Marik's hands close around the back of my night shirt, and I let out a yelp as he pulled me back. As I fell into his chest I brought up my elbow and heard a satisfying _oooff_ as I drove it under his ribcage. Marik fell to his knees. Now free, I scrambled into the elevator and threw myself at the down button.

"Come on! Come on!" I cried, pressing the button as fast as I could. "Go down!"

Marik was already on his feet and his vacant eyes were upon me.

"Shut the door - hurry up!" I shrieked as I saw him start towards me once again. I looked around wildly for a weapon, but it was useless. I was trapped inside the elevator and would never be able to run out and get past Marik!

Marik leered at me as he came closer. So close, I could see every vein on his forehead.

_Ding_ - The doors were shutting - YES!

Howling, Marik charged the elevator in a surge of speed. With a cry, I flew upon the down button again. Please shut - oh please shut before he gets here! Marik was at the door when it finally closed with a soft _snap_. I was enclosed in darkness.

I sank to my knees with a dry sob. My heart was throbbing beneath my chest, blood pumping like a drum in my ears. I was shaking so hard I could barely breathe. Leaning my head against the side of the elevator I tried to try to calm myself, taking a deep rattling breath. Slowly I felt the elevator start to move down, and I sighed with relief.

_creeeeeeeak_ - The grinding of hinges made me jump. The elevator shook beneath my feet, but continued moving downward. A sliver of light appeared on the floor. I sat, crouched, as I saw two hands pry into the crack of the doors. Marik's arm shot into the elevator, right above my head - I screamed.

I felt it brush against my cheek and I slapped at it with my hands. I could see through the doors the floor rising up as the elevator sank - his arm would get caught... caught between the rising floor and sinking ceiling.

Ducking out of Marik's reach, I threw myself to the floor. I looked up just in time to see Marik pull in his arm as the floor rose up to the ceiling. His roar of frustration was cut off as the elevator doors snapped shut once more.

Shivering on the floor I didn't dare breathe. My body was covered in a cold sweat, and my night shirt stuck to my skin. _Malik!_ I thought desperately, but my companion stayed silent. _For heaven's sake, HELP ME! What happened to Marik? Why is he attacking me? Malik - talk to me!_

_Ding_ - the elevator stopped with a soft _thump_, and before I could get to my feet the doors opened.

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Was that scarey? Even a little bit scarey? Okay – how about weird? Was that weird? It was supposed to be very strange. Marik was sleepwalking, by the way. Please tell me what you think - that's a new type of scene writing I'm experimenting with.

Sorry about the late update – I've been swamped.

**Random Thing I Want to Explain**: Has anyone ever found it slightly confusing that Malik and Elaine speak to each other in italics? And how, often, Malik's words are combined with Elaine's own thoughts in the same paragraph? Well, guess what – there's a purpose for that. Unlike Bakura and his Spirit that share the same body but have seperate minds thanks to a M. Item, Elaine and Malik share a mind. Therefore, their thoughts are one. Yeah... I just wanted to explain that so you all gasp and go: "Wow! Look how much thought Silwyth puts into this story! -_mumble_- That dude must have no life at all. -_mumble_-"

**Wolfdemonness**: lol – You should get on sugar highs all the time – lol - Who's Krim?

**Atem's Queen of The Nile**: Seto had a _Jet Pack?_ How did I miss this!

**anorethunbound**, **panmotto**, **plutobaby494**, **Yuka** **Kitsune**, and **person**: Thanks for the lovey reviews! I'm trying to update – I swear I am!

**BritishxCrumpet**: Yay! You're back! And you gave me cookies! -_eats cookies_- Yummm... Oh no! Can't resist the sad kitty eyes! _NO!_ Anything but _that!  
_lol _- C_ourse I'll forgive you... if you give me more cookies... and crumpets...

**teenyugiohpotterphantom**: Yes, that was rather a waste of time. But it's important for two things that will occur later – involving that nasty promise Elaine was forced to take.  
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	31. Chapter 30

I UPDATED! I UPDATED!  
Sorry it's been so long (two months?).

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 30: Strange Meetings

I peered out off the elevator into the hallway, my heart still pounding. Marik could be out there…

The hallway was barely lit, one of the dim ceiling lights flickered above my head. The only true light was from the open elevator in which I stood. The fluorescent lights flooded out into the hallway - creating a large and elongated shadow of me on the floor. When I moved it looked like a ghost.

Stop scaring yourself! I told myself, taking a deep breath. I closed my eyes for a second and built up the courage to run out into the hall - _the longer you wait in here the more time Marik will have to find you again!_

"Now!" I shouted, and bolted out of the hall. The elevator shut behind me and the light was blocked out - but this didn't bother me. I could see everything in my mind's eye. I had set my body on automatic, I knew if I thought about my situation I would scare myself to – **ThwwwACK!**

I was surprised when I ran into the wall and fell backwards on the floor. Stunned I moaned, "Ow..." I guess my mind's eye wasn't as clear as I had thought. Since when was that wall there? I felt my head then looked up.

"Out for a midnight stroll?" said the wall.

I screamed and scrambled backward on the floor. I could now make out the dark lines of a man. The black figure moved towards me and I frantically climbed to my feet, turning to run. The figure grabbed my arm before I could move my feet.

"What happened to you?" he whipped me around so that I was facing him. He grabbed the back of my head so that I forced to look at him.

I looked up into his face and burst out crying. "Seto!" With a sob, I grabbed the front of his shirt and buried my head in it. "Oh Seto! It's Marik! Oh gosh - that monster!"

"Elaine," Seto Kaiba said sternly, "You are not helping."

"Sorry," I mumbled, letting go. I had been so happy to see him, anyone other than Marik... I felt the heat climbing up my cheeks. It didn't help that Seto was examining my face critically. After a moment, he peered over my head into the dark corridor. He asked, "And what business did you have wandering the halls at this time?"

I blinked in surprise. I wanted to be comforted - not attacked!

"What am I doing here?" I said angrily. "What are _you_ doing here?"

I couldn't tell because of the lack of light, but I could have sworn he smiled at me. Seto said softly, "It's my blimp."

If anything, my blush grew darker. Now I probably looked like a tomato - just great. I waited for him to start talking again, but he simply continued to gaze down at me. I couldn't see his expression - but I guessed he was probably wondering how I had made it into the finals in the first place.

"You should get to your room," Seto finally said, he then turned to leave. I blinked, and suddenly felt my fear return. He was leaving me?

"Wait!" I said, "What – what about Marik! He attacked me!"

He continued to walk down the hall and I knew he was heading to his room. A faint panic grabbed me and I rushed after him. "Whoa - you're not just going to leave me here!"

"I believe you're old enough to tuck yourself in," Seto said dryly. I gulped, "But Marik! He's still out there! He could be waiting for me!"

Seto's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "If you truly feel your life is in danger, you can contact security on Deck 2. Now, goodnight."

I was so wrung up I started to sob. Angry at myself, but horribly frightened all at the same time I cried, "It's dark, I'm scared – and don't you dare leave me alone Seto Kaiba!"

"Fine then…"

He marched off in the direction of my room and I sighed in relief.

When we arrived at my hallway but the lights were so dim I could barely see anything. Why doesn't he just turn on the lights? I thought desperately. At least we were almost to my room. I could almost make out my door.

Seto walked ahead of me, and I almost had to jog to keep up with him – for every step he took I had to take two. I practically ran into the CEO when he stopped suddenly. I was about to ask what was the matter when I heard a soft grunt down the hallway coming from the darkness just out of view

I jumped, and instinctively moved to Seto's side. Seto, on the other hand, stood up straighter, and took a slow step forward. His eyes darted down the corridor and his hands were slightly raised - ready.

"There!" I pointed wildly as Marik appeared to grow in the shadows. Seto pushed me behind me, and moved out into the middle of the hall - right into Marik's path.

"Marik!" the CEO called, "What is the meaning of this!"

I could have almost died. "Seto!" I whispered frantically. "Don't!"

The Egyptian took two steps before he realized Seto was blocking his route. He looked at Seto with a scowl, his teeth bared. Seto watched Marik sway back and forth, and then moved out of the way slowly pulling me with him. He pushed me into a doorway, making sure to keep himself between myself and Marik.

Marik eyes followed him warily and I knew it would be seconds before he saw me. Seto took a step forward.

"Elaine has been moved to room 14-B," Seto said calmly. Marik watched him for a moment then turned down the hall in the direction of the room. I knew that if he had seen me it would have been a different story. Seto came over to me, a definite smirk on his face. I slapped him on the arm, "You dolt! That's Joey's room!"

"I know," Seto responded. He motioned to my door as if to say, "There, I got your room back, happy now?"

"Once Marik realizes you gave him Joey's room number he'll come back," I said softly. Seto glared at me, now annoyed. "Fine – follow me."

He started down the hall in the direction opposite of Marik. I followed after him and realized I was in part of the blimp I had never been before. Where was he taking me?

Please let it be somewhere with lots of security, I thought.

We arrived at a door with a number pad at one side. Seto pressed in a seven number combination, placing his body between me and the pad so I couldn't see, and the door slid open. He looked at me expectantly and I walked in.

The place was a combination of several rooms, the first from the door appeared to be some sort of "den." It was complete with a couch, coffee table, lamps, and other such things. This must be where he houses important people, I thought, probably when he conducts business deals on the blimp.

I cautiously moved farther in and through a doorway thought I spied a bed. I pointed, "I sleep in there?"

"No," Seto said irritably. "You sleep on the couch." He pulled some neatly folded blankets out of a cabinet and threw them at me. I caught them in surprise and he continued, "_I_ sleep in there. Now, goodnight." He went into his private quarters and soundly shut the door.

I blinked at the door, then at the couch. This was Seto's room!

Feeling slightly self-conscious I went over to the couch and laid down, pulling the blankets up around my chin. It was weird thinking that Seto was only a door away. At least I was safe from Marik – even if he tried anything I doubted he'd be able to reach me inside the room of a CEO.

Content with this, I closed my eyes and slowly felt my mind drift away as sleep approached. My thoughts turned once last time towards Seto and I actually said aloud, "Dear God, I hope he doesn't snore."

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You know... I can picture Seto Kaiba snoring. Not the mouth hanging open, _I-think-he's-choking-on-a-cow_ kind – but the rumbling in the back of the throat kind. Wow, that was random.  
Yes, it was kind of short, I know. Next one will be very short - but the one after that is longer... much longer. (I'm talking about chapters, by the way.) 

**HELP!  
**Okay people – anyone know where I can find good Yu-Gi-Oh episode summaries? Or episode scripts? I need something for my next chapter... have it all written except for that one part, and I have to find it! ARGH! So frustrating!

To find my responces to your reviews go to the Crossovers Reviews and search for a review signed by me and labled at the top in all caps: CHAPTER (whichever) REVIEWS... that way I won't take up so much room in here, and it will make you work to find them. ;)

P.S. I just set the review five minutes before updating this, so it might not be there yet.


	32. Chapter 31

Happy New Year! And I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 31: Wake Up Call

I woke up the next morning with a kink in my neck from sleeping on a couch, but, other than that, completely refreshed. The night had been quiet – no other visits from my psycho evil friend and not one snort from Seto.

Seto – my thoughts started to come awake – I'm in his room… _WEIRD!_

I slowly sat up and looked around for a clock. Light was streaming lazily across the floor, one beam falling directly on the side table next to me where a small digital clock sat, the numbers glowing blue. My eyes widened – 11:00am already! I jumped off the couch and hastily started to fold the blankets. In my rush they turned out to be strange lumpy folded things, and so I threw them back on the couch giving up.

Feeling a bit awkward, I walked up to the door separating the two rooms and knocked softly. No response. I knocked louder and called timidly, "Um… Seto?" When there was again no response, I opened the door a crack and peeked my head in. "Seto?"

He wasn't there. The bed was neatly made, the room was completely quiet. If I hadn't known better I would have thought no one had slept there last night.

There was another door on the other side of the room and I leaned forward to get a glimpse – bathroom! _Score!_ I could at least clean myself up a little bit before I went running around the blimp in my pajamas.

I filled up the spotless porcelain sink, then washed my face and dried up with a towel hanging on a towel rack. I looked at the water slowly rippling in the sink, breathing slowly and allowing myself for the first time in a long while to think of nothing and just relax. I watched the ripples move out from the center of the sink and slowly lap onto the sides. More ripples formed in the center and continued the process. It took me a while to realize nothing was causing them.

"What the?" I gasped as I felt a shaking under my feet. An earthquake on a blimp? The water began to slosh around and the soap holder rattled off the sink and clattered onto the floor. Other things around the bathroom, and Seto's room, fell as the shaking increased - I held the sink for support.

The intercom over my head clicked on and a man said, "We are experiencing some turbulence, please – "

I screamed as the blimp lurched out from under me and I fell to the floor. Shampoo bottles crashed to the ground, their lids popping off and sending the liquid soap through the air. The lights flickered over my head and the blimp lurched again sending me sliding. The blimp continued to sway dangerously for several more seconds and then it righted itself.

"I just love turbulence," I said sarcastically. The shaking must have finally awakened my mental companion, for Malik growled, _Someone should fire that pilot._

I started to say something, but was drowned out by a loud humming. I froze, then made a mad dash for Seto's bed, and quickly slid under it - California Earthquake reflexes were kicking in. I waited, wide eyed, for the blimp to start shaking again. The humming grew louder but the blimp didn't shake, budge or jolt. Nothing happened at all.

I felt Malik's confusion, _It's coming from -_

"Outside?" I finished in surprise. Jumping to my feet, I ran to my window, a small porthole no bigger than my face. I couldn't see anything but the blue of the sky and the occasional cloud that flew up, past my window. _Clouds don't fly up._

I pressed my face harder against the glass, trying to look down. "This can't be right! There's no way we could be at the tower already!"

_I see something,_ Malik said suddenly, straining. _Concentrate your eyes below on the left._

I looked in the direction Malik instructed. A dark shape - getting bigger, growing faster and faster. No – it wasn't growing faster, we were _flying down_ faster!

"A boat?" I asked. Malik frowned, _Too big to be a boat._ Forgetting that my hair was uncombed, that I was barefoot, and all that I was wearing was a PJ over shirt - I ran out the door making my way for the control room. If any place had answers, that was it. I was halfway down the hall when the blimp lurched again and the sound of metal against metal scraping permeated the walls. I held my ears, but the noise was gone as suddenly as it had come.

_We've landed, _Malik said gruffly. I started to run faster.

I turned a corner and shouted in surprise, "Yugi!" In front of me was the gang, Kaiba brothers, and an assortment of KaibaCorp employees in suits. They were standing at the exit hatch of the blimp; the ramp was already extended. Everyone was accounted for and no one looked like they were dying... though Seto looked like he had swallowed a lemon. What was going on?

As I ran up to them I caught a glimpse out the hatch - the entire blimp was surrounded by metal. _We're in some sort of landing bay,_ Malik said incrediously. If he had a head, he would have shook it. _Definitely too big to be a boat. _

"I have a bad feeling about this," I said, trying to get a better look out the hatch. The landing bay was much more menacing on second glance. Mounted on the walls were what looked like gun turrets. At the far side of the bay was an entrance to somewhere. The entire place reeked of technology.

"It's Noah," Téa whispered next to me. "He managed to take over the - "

I interrupted, "Wait, Noah?"

"It is none of your concern," Seto snapped at as, then he moved defiantly toward the hatch. Two of the buffer employees jumped forward saying, "No, Mr. Kaiba! It's too dangerous for you – we'll go first."

The men stepped out of the blimp. Blaster fire filled the air, and the men jumped back just in time to avoid getting their feet seared off. A high taunting voice boomed throughout the bay.

"The invitation was for duelists only!"

My eyes widened, "Noah... oh!" Understanding clicked in as Noah's voice filled the air again. The boy was going on about something, but I wasn't listening.

_Noah_, so that's what was happening! If I remembered correctly from Zack's summaries: Noah was actually the true son of Gozaburo Kaiba. I thought hard, Noah wanted the company, revenge on Seto for one reason or another… and something else? I couldn't remember.

So then we were stuck in his base. I frowned for a second, wouldn't any of the countries nearby detect this place on their coastal radar? I then shook my head. This is Yu-Gi-Oh, remember?

"Elaine!" Mokuba had weaved his way through the gang, accidentally treading over Duke's feet, during Noah's little speech. "Are you sure you're okay?" He looked up at me with concerned blue-grey eyes.

I blinked down at him, "Okay? Why wouldn't I be o-" I looked down at myself and realized I must look a mess. I couldn't help but smile at my predicament.

"Don't worry about me," I said. At the same time, Seto left the blimp saying, "Let's go, Mokuba."

"Okay, Seto!" Mokuba yelled. He grabbed my hand and started to pull, "Come on, Elaine."

Yugi, coming up from behind us, put a restraining hand on my arm. "Actually, Mokuba, I wanted to speak to Elaine for a moment."

Mokuba dropped my hand, "Oh… okay, Yugi." The boy waved a small goodbye as he bounded after his older brother. The gang likewise moved out the door, though Téa lingered for a moment to watch Yugi. When they were gone Yugi transformed into the Pharaoh.

I hadn't spoken to Yami since my duel with Bandit Keith… he didn't even know Malik was inside my mind! There was so much I needed to tell him! I was about to speak when I noticed the serious and down to business look on Yami's face. I bit my tongue and prepared to listen. In a way I was relived, a nice pep talk from the Pharaoh was exactly what I needed.

"Elaine," he said. "I want you to stay here."

"Uh…" I blinked in surprise. "What? Why?"

"I want you to keep an eye on Marik," Yami said softly. "No doubt he'll try some sort of treachery while we're away."

Some sort of treachery… Malik echoed mockingly. What is that, poetic license?

"But why me?" I asked, pushing Malik's thoughts to the side. The one thing I needed was for Malik's hatred of the Pharaoh to surface now. Yami said, "You aren't intimidated by Marik. I'd stay, but I feel I will be needed. You are the next obvious choice."

"What about Noah?" I motioned to the hatch. Yami frowned thoughtfully, " I do not believe Noah is the true threat here." He looked at me reassuringly, "There's no need to be concerned."

"I… okay," I said softly. I was pleased Yami would trust me with something like this, but being alone with the new super-evil Marik for hours on end? I heard Téa call from down the ramp, "Yugi! Are you coming?"

Yami said quickly to me, "We won't be long, Elaine. You should be fine." He started down the path.

"But Yami…!" I started, unable to control myself. The Pharaoh turned back to look at me. A thousand reasons came into my head: 'Last night Marik tried to kill me!' 'I have the _real_ Marik inside my mind!' 'Not intimidated by him? The very though of him makes me want to pee my pants!'

"Yes?" Yami asked.

"It's…" I shook my head, "Nothing, Yami. Just take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will," he assured me, "and I shall also watch out for Mokuba." He started out the door and then added over his shoulder, "And Kaiba, too."

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

"Mr. Noah?"

"What is it now, Crump?"

"We were unable to find information on one of the duel finalists."

Noah, leaned forward in his chair, intrigued. "Oh?"

"The file that got her into the tournament appears to be forged," Crump reported. As the leading accountant of the Big Five, it had been his job to collect information on each of the blimp's passengers. One couldn't assume a previously existing identity without information. "Claims to be an American, but there's no passport, no birth record – according to our sources she doesn't exist."

"Indeed," Noah rubbed his chin, thinking. "A fake identity?"

"If so it is the most perfectly executed one I've ever seen," Johnson cut in. Once a feared and reputed lawyer, he knew a thing or two about forged documents and paper trails. "It's impossible to trace. The only piece of her on record was the duelist file that qualified her for the tournament. Through the blimp security camera recordings we were able to observe she was a close friend to Yugi Moto and the others..."

"Huh," Noah laughed. He turned to look at the view screen where the Big Five stood waiting for his instructions. "And once again you have been fooled by my dear step-brother."

"Mistuh Noah..." one of the members tried to interrupt. Noah continued, "I'm not finished, Lector. This girl is probably one of Seto's employees, hired to learn as much as she can about Moto and his little strategies. Apparently he doesn't want to take any chances against Yugi – a well placed spy would assure his victory."

The Big Five exchanged glances.

"Then how should be proceed?" demanded Nezbitt, the previous technology expert and designer for Kaiba Corporation. Noah sat back, "As originally planned, of course. This only confirms what I have been hoping for." The grin on his face looked out of place on the body of a twelve year old boy. "Resorting to using spies in his own tournament? Obviously dear Seto will go to any lengths to prove himself against one whom he sees as an adversary... just like he did to Father."

"Once he realizes you are Gozaburo's true hire, he may want to prove himself against you, Mr. Noah," Johnson pointed out.

"I know. In fact, I'm counting on it," Noah smiled at the situation and placed the tips of his fingers together. He slowly became lost in his thoughts of anticipation – which Lector shattered by clearing his throat.

Noah looked up sharply, "Now what?"

"We thought we should inform you the girl has remained on the blimp."

Noah sighed, "And what did you expect? She is working for Seto after all – he probably ordered her to hack into our main computer, or some other futile attempt to free his vessel." Noah waved his hand at the Big Five. "Now get to your positions before I delete you. If she tries anything the defensive systems will be more than adequate at eliminating her."

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Ahhh... Noah. He-he, I love writting his dialoge!

Well, there's the chapter for you. Please Review and tell me what you thought!

By the way, I - once again - responded to all your reviews with another massive review of my own. Find it if you can! Mwa ha ha ha!


	33. Chapter 32

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 32: Sticking like Glue

After walking around the blimp twice, searching for Marik, I was about ready to curse Yami for putting me up to this. I sighed mentally, Yami was counting on me to make sure Marik didn't cause any trouble. He didn't know...

_Forget the Pharaoh, we can't risk discovery! _Malik broke into my thoughts. _If Marik realizes – argh! What the Pharaoh is asking you to do is suicide!_

"All he asked me to do was keep on eye on you," I sighed, "Yami doesn't know that you and Marik are separate people..."

_That… that _thing_ inhabiting my body is not a person!_ Malik protested angrily.

"Fine!" I said. "The point is, Yami thinks you're still the same. He doesn't know he's putting me in any more danger than usual."

_I hate to break it to you Murphy,_ Malik said, starting to become frustrated. _But what the Pharaoh thinks doesn't change the fact that my body is now being controlled by a very powerful and very evil being. We have to act accordingly..._

"No!" I gasped. Malik snapped, _Don't interrupt me!_

"That's exactly what we can't do!" I continued excitedly. If I could stick to Marik like glue it just might work! _Murphy! Stop and think for two seconds!_ I pretended I didn't hear him.

I dashed through the corridors of the blimp, looking for Malik's evil counter-part with a new purpose. As I passed the medical room I stopped in to check on Mai and the other victims. Mai hadn't moved, all the tubes were still in place and she was cold as ice. Even her hair had seemed to have lost its shine. As I moved out of the room, passing Bakura's body, I felt Malik murmur in the back of my mind. Ignoring it, I continued in my search.

------------------------------------------

"Hey you!" I shouted, running up to the blimp exit. "Where do you think you're going?"

On my way to the control room who did I find trying to sneak into the base?

Marik did not answer but started down the ramp. I was about to grab his cape and pull him back when I heard the whizzing of machinery and several blasts – the gun turrets! – shot at Marik's feet. Marik, with a disturbing grin, easily deflected the blasts with the Millennium Rod, then with a flick of his wrist lashed out with a sharp stream of shadow magic. The offending turrets blew up, sending metal shards and bits of wire flying.

Marik said with a laugh, "I go where I want." He continued down the ramp.

_He doesn't feel you are a threat,_ Malik whispered. _Leave now and…_

"Yo, freak-boy!" I called, coming after the evil Egyptian. "I'm coming with you." Marik turned to watch me and when I reached the bottom I glared defiantly up at him. Thank goodness he wasn't as tall as Seto.

"Do as you please," Marik smirked – almost a challenge.

He began moving swiftly for a pair of sliding doors on the other side of the room, his cape snapping out behind him. I quickly jogged after him – making sure to stay right on his tail. Marik would protect himself with his magic if any more gun turrets went active - the closer I was to him the safer I'd be. What an irony...

Malik gulped, _Murphy, you will be the death of me!_

I thought back, _No I won't. Marik doesn't suspect anything – and if I keep this up I doubt he'll start. Yami thinks Marik is you, and _I_ should think Marik is you. If I acted differently… Marik is probably watching for that sort of behavior._

_He isn't stupid!_ Malik cried._ Don't you think he hasn't prepared for what you're trying to do?_ I had no answer, but I also knew I was too far in to back out of my plan now.

I darted through the door after Marik and called in a flippant voice, "So, how much hair gel do you use?"

The majority of our travels consisted of this: Me asking random questions that Marik didn't answer, and Marik stopping occasionally to blow up a console or light some electrical wires on fire with his Rod.

As we continued, Marik started to take an interest in the rooms off each side of the halls. Determinedly, he began looking through them – tearing them apart. _He's trying to find the Pharaoh,_ Malik explained. _Marik would rather kill Moto than challenge him to a duel for the Pharaoh's soul._

_Then I'll have to make sure he doesn't find Moto,_ I thought back.

I followed Marik into each of the rooms, but I never needed to do anything rash. Yami was no where to be found. This was more of a worry than a relief. It only served to remind me how big the base was, and how easily it would be to get lost.

If there was one thing I did not want to do, it was spend the rest of my life with Marik and Malik in this metal shoebox under the sea.

"Marik," I said while digging through some metal scraps in one of the rooms. "I think you should go back to just blowing things up."

As usual he did not respond. I picked up a scrap with numbers on it saying, "You know what? You should shave your head and form a cult!" I turned to look at him.

I dropped the scrap of metal, and it fell to the ground with a loud clang! The sound bounced on the metal walls, then finally faded. I didn't – couldn't – move.

Marik wasn't there.

I ran out into the hallway and looked down both sides wildly. He was gone! Completely gone!

_Brilliant,_ Malik rolled his eyes. _I hope you know how to get out of here._

I ran down the hallway, fervently opening doors and looking inside. Empty, empty, empty, empty! No! I couldn't have lost him!

_Calm down and -_

**buzzzzzzzz**

I jumped a foot, startled, "What is that?"

The grating sound of whirling gears pierced the air like a swarm of angry bees. The whirling grew louder, echoing from down the hall. By the time I started thinking about a place to hide it was too late. With mechanical camera eyes and protruding gun holes, the egg-shaped contraption flew straight at me.

I screamed as a laser blast flew past my head.

_RUN, MURPHY!_

I turned and ran down the hall, swerving to avoid blaster fire as it rained upon me. I tripped over some loose cables, went sprawling, and as the machine came flying after me, rolled into a storage bay. I kicked the door shut with my foot and crawled backwards until my back was on the wall.

I sighed and leaned my head back. Safe!

**BAM!** My head snapped up. **BAM!** The door was shaking; that bloody bucket of bolts was trying to break through! I frantically looked around. Containers were stacked everywhere, all the way up to the two story high ceiling. Above me was a grate walkway suspended by metal rods from the ceiling leading to more storage and... a door! If I could get up there...! **BAM! BAM!**

I started to throw some of the lighter containers into a pile when I spotted a latter leading up to the walkway. YES!

**BAM! BAM!**

_Don't just stand there! _Malik shouted. I bolted up the latter, taking the rungs two at a time. **BAM! BAM!**

The walkway swayed and its rods squeaked as I jumped on. I ignored the rocking and ran for the door praying it was open.

**BAM! _CRASH!_ BUZZZZZZZZZZ!**

_Go faster! _I darted through the door, jumping as blasts hit around my feet.

"Marik!" I screamed, but I knew he wouldn't help me even if he did hear me. Out the door was another hall, long and straight. The machine was gaining on me. I felt a blast singe my arm, and cried out. The laser burn was like fire. I kept running, ducking, dodging. I knew I couldn't keep it up forever.

Turning a corner, I frantically threw myself against the wall, hoping against all odds the metal deathtrap would pass me. I sucked in my gut as it flew around the corner - on the tail of its prey. The machine whooshed past me, but stopped and hovered in the middle of the hall – apparently confused.

There was a narrow pipe sticking up by my feet, and I slowly slid down the wall to pick it up. The contraption buzzed as it looked around, then it started to turn in my direction.

"Hee yah!" I shouted as I slammed the pipe into the machine like a baseball bat. It was flung backwards, shuttering and sparking, now with one large dent across its middle. With horror I watched it rise back to its proper height. Panicking, I threw my pipe at it and ran.

Behind me was a dull THUD, then the **buzzzzz **of pursuit.

I ran down the hall, turning corner after corner, trying to lose it.

"NO!" I wailed when I turned into a dead end. Inside my mind Malik was cussing his Egyptian head off.

The machine flew around the corner and paused, as if it knew there was no where for me to escape.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" I yelled in vain. The machine advanced, and I backed up, terrified.

My foot tripped over a piece of metal and I fell hard on the grate floor. I scooted back until I was trapped against the back wall. The machine raised itself to its full height and prepared to fire.

_May Ra deliver our souls,_ Malik whispered softly. The last words I wanted to hear.

"No!" I shouted, but I covered my head in surrender. Then the machine fired.

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
Well, looks like Elaine has gotten herself into a pickle.  
A huge, massive, Tetryon Pulse Disruptor wielding, pickle (of terrror).  
Whatever will she do? Guess... I dare you!

Hint: She will not do the "Pickle Dance." Sorry, Gateway, but I just couldn't find a way to put it in. I'm so sorry...


	34. Chapter 33

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 33: The Hub

"Where's my little brother."

The voice of Seto Kaiba echoed dangerously against the walls of Noah's control center. Noah slowly spun around in his swivel chair, enjoying Kaiba's rage. He laughed as he stood up, "Barking orders already, Seto? In case you've forgotten, you're in my world now. And only what_ I_ say goes."

Kaiba ground his teeth, "Noah, I'm warning you... If you so much as lay a hand on Mokuba!" The green-haired boy sighed and turned back to his view panels, "Must you be such a worry wart? If you must know, our little brother is doing fine. However, it's not him I'd worry about."

Kaiba stiffened. He took a step forward, hands curling in fists. Eyes flashing, he hissed, "How dare you call Mokuba your brother!"

"I dare the way you dared to steal KaibaCorp away from a true prodigy," Noah gave Kaiba a sour smile. "But as I was saying, I'd be much more worried about your little friend."

Kaiba frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh please, Seto," Noah said, "You know exactly what I'm talking about. After your spy couldn't break through my main computer firewalls she moved on to my base – most likely in search of the computer hub."

Kaiba chuckled softly, "You're speaking nonsense, Noah."

"Am I?" Noah laughed. "Then perhaps this will jog your memory!"

One of the panels flickered, turned to static, then blinked to show a metal hallway. A hallway in the base, in the real world – the picture was paused. Noah flicked a switch on his chair, "Now observe."

The picture on the screen suddenly jumped forward as if it was a camera attached to a cop car in a high speed chase. The bobbling and loud **buzz** that accompanied the picture gave it away as a security recording of one of the base's many defense machines. Kaiba watched, fascinated, as the machine turned a corner to reveal a slim figure running in front of it. The machine opened fire, red laser blasts shooting right from under the camera's vision. The figure dodged, screamed, and threw herself down an adjoining hallway.

With a sort of horror Kaiba recognized the figure. A girl in jeans with red hair.

"No!" Elaine's voice was muffled over the recording. When the machine turned the corner it revealed the dead end she was standing in.

Kaiba whirled on Noah, "Your fight is with me! Are you so afraid to face me that you have to take it out on one of my guests?"

But Noah didn't answer, and the recording continued.

"Somebody help me!" Elaine shouted on the screen. Kaiba turned back to watch the machine advance on her. The American covered her head shouting "No!" and the screen went blank with static. Kaiba clenched his hands into fists, fuming.

"That's what happens to people who cross me, Seto," Noah's eyes gleamed, "People like you." The boy watched as Kaiba took in his words.

Noah smirked. "_Now_, I'd start worrying about your little brother."

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

It took me a second to realize I was still alive. The machine blew up, sparks scorching the air and wires flying everywhere. It fell with a crash to the ground, some of the parts bouncing to land at my feet. I coughed twice in surprise, and as the smoke cleared I saw a man standing upright, a gun still in his hands.

"Hey," he said, lowering the gun. "You okay?"

I blinked against the smoke and asked weakly, "Keith?"

He came over to me, stepping over the sizzling machine, and held out a hand. I took it and Bandit Keith pulled me up. I was too stunned to speak; even Malik had nothing to say.

Keith chuckled. "What? No thank you? Don't they have manners in California?" There was a definite amused gleam from behind his sunglasses.

"I had it under control," I said, picking wire out of my hair and trying to look dignified. Keith grinned at me,"So all that screaming was part of your master plan."

"Exactly," I confirmed with a grin of my own. At last, someone I recognized! Someone on_ my_ side! "Keith, you are one sight for sore eyes. But what are you doing here?"

"You think I'd stay on the blimp after what's happened?" Keith demanded, waving his gun around as he talked. "Actually, I was following you and friz-boy – better than sittin' doing nothing." He eyed me. "Guess it was a good thing, too."

"No kidding," I breathed. I eyed the gun in his hand. Malik chuckled, _Even as my mind slave he always had some sort of projectile weapon on him. I believe he sleeps with one under his pillow._

"Um, Keith?" I started. "Where did you get...?"

"This baby?" The American flipped the gun in his hand expertly – it was obvious he knew what he was doing. "Found a weapon's locker farther back and thought I'd load up."

"Load up?" I echoed, watching the gun like a hawk. The last thing I needed was to be accidentally shot.

"Yeah," he added, "They had everything - even fingerprint dust." Keith reached around to his back pocket and pulled out another gun. He slapped it into my hand before I could protest.

"Know how to use it?" he asked. I nodded vaguely. My step-father kept a gun in the house in case of emergencies; he took me to a gun range and showed me how to use it when I was twelve.

I looked down at the gun in my hands. "Keith," I said quickly, "Thanks. It's just..." I waved my hand at the hall, the base in general.

"It does get to you," Keith nodded in agreement. "All the better to get out of here." He moved down the hall confidently. "That's the only working defense machine I've seen so far – and if we get out of here, hopefully it will be the last." The American started down the hall and I followed behind him, gripping the gun a little harder than necessary.

"Where is Marik, anyway?" Keith asked. I ground my teeth, "He's probably back on the blimp already... laughing at me." Keith chuckled and shook his head.

_Marik would not leave the base. He is looking for the Pharaoh as we speak - if the Pharaoh is to survive we must either warn him or get him back to safety._

I thought back with a smile, _I knew Yami would grow on you._  
_  
Please,_ the Egyptian snorted. _I am only concerned for his well being because if Marik gets a hold the Pharaoh, that monster will become unstoppable._

I frowned at Malik's words, but didn't respond.

As Keith and I moved through the halls it became apparent we were lost. We quickly decided to continue looking for the exit, but our main goal became: find the operations room. Not only would such a room have a map, but it might also show us where the others were.

"Oh yeah baby," Keith rubbed his hands as he entered one of the rooms. "Jackpot."

"What is it?" I walked inside and was greeted by storage lockers. Keith grinned, "Another armory by the looks of it." He dug through a cabinet, "Man, they have everything. Look!" He held up a small brown kit. "More fingerprint dust. I love this stuff!" It was like watching a kid at Christmas. "Extra ammo, taser gun..."

I opened a locker and had to lunge to catch the weapon as it fell out. I said incrediously as I looked down at what I was holding, "An AK-47! What the-!" I quickly dropped the gun. As it hit the floor, the gun sparked and I realized it had been modified to shoot lasers. Malik frowned, _This Noah is more of a threat than I thought – he has enough weaponry here to supply a private army. Curious, this weapon is an old KaibaCorps design..._

"Right," I breathed, "Goza made high tech weapons. This must be some sort of store room for all his old work." Malik paused in surprise, _And when did we start connecting some smart mouth kid to a dead technological mastermind?_

"Come on, Keith," I said, ignoring Malik. "Escape first, then check out the guns." I left the armory room and moved on down the hall, even more determined to find the control center. As I walked, one particular door caught my eye.

"I think I've found something," I called. Keith poked his head out of the armory. I waved at him, "Over here!"

Keith joined me to stand in front of a normal looking door. He eyed it warily then turned to me, "What about it?"

"It's the only one locked with an electronic keypad," I said, motioning to the pad attached to the doorpost. Then I pointed to the crack at the bottom of the door, light spilled out onto the floor. "Definitely something important."

Keith frowned then nodded, "Alright – stand back." The American looked carefully at the door controls. He pressed a few buttons and a soft angry beep announced that he had keyed in the wrong combination. I started, "Maybe we should try..." But Keith didn't wait for me to finish. He slammed the butt of the gun into the control panel and the glass shattered. He knocked the glass out of the way with his fist, then grabbed the bundle of wires and in one sharp jerk ripped them out of the wall.

The door slid open and Keith stood to the side. "Ladies first."

Still a little stunned, I walked into the room.

The room was rectangular, wide with consoles lining the walls. Above the consoles were more consoles and large blank screens. It was all switches and soft blinking lights – confusing as a corn maze.

Keith walked in after me and sat in one of the chairs, examining the controls. I stood by his side, "Now what?"

Keith snorted, "Like I've thought that far ahead." I rolled my eyes and searched the controls. After pressing what appeared to be an ON button the monitors came to life. They all blazed with one word:

PASSWORD

"Perfect," I muttered. Keith growled under his breath, "There isn't even a keyboard _to_ input a password."

Malik said softly, _No one is running this base... This technology – it's like it's been programed to work from inside the machine. But that's impossible!_

"Here!" I cried softly as I sat down at one of the other chairs far off to the side. Under the console I rolled out a keyboard. Keith nodded sarcastically, "Well great... you wouldn't happen to have the password, eh?"

_The consoles – those are what controls the system. I bet the keyboard is only used to enter a password._

"Oh!" I exclaimed, listening to Malik's words. I turned to Keith, "Do you have the fingerprint dust?"

Keith looked surprised for a moment, then he smiled. "I like the way you think, girl!" He went through his vest, picked out a brown kit, and threw it at me. I quickly dusted the keyboard. The dust clung to every key, but most prominently to the keys A, E, C, T, H, M, and K.

"Probably something technical," Keith suggested. "Or Kaiba based, seeing as Kaiba's the one Noah's after."

I looked at the letters blankly, "I hate word puzzles."

"The Ackm?" Keith offered. He laughed and pushed his bandana high up on his forehead, "How can we possibly know what Noah would use as a password?"

"Wait a second," I said suddenly. "It wasn't Noah who used this keyboard last – it was Gozaburo! We're thinking of the wrong things." I thought hard. "Okay, Goza liked weapons, hated Seto, liked revenge, liked chess..."

"Whoa," Keith held up a hand. "Who the heck is Gozaburo?"

"Seto's step-dad," I said. I thought hard – what would an revenge-bent man use as a password?

"Seto's step-dad?" Keith echoed. "Since when did everything revolve around _'Seto?'_"

I snapped. "Would you just help me figure this out?" Keith glared at me once, leaned back in his chair and stuck his feet up on the consoles, retreating into his thoughts. Meanwhile, I frowned at the keyboard with the letters chanting in my mind. A, E, C, T, H, M, and K. A, E, C, T, H, M, and K.

"Checkmate," Keith said suddenly, sitting up in his chair. Rising to his feet he ran over to me, "The password's 'checkmate' – he must have pushed the C and E twice."

"How can you be sure?"

"I never met Gozaburo Kaiba himself, but I knew men like him," Keith said. "Trust me." Malik grinned, _Plus, Mr. Howard spends the majority of his pathetic existence sitting in his trailer solving word puzzles in the newspaper._

_You're lucky he can't hear you say that,_ I thought and typed in CHECKMATE. I pressed ENTER and the middle screen flickered, flashed ACCEPTED, then all blazed to life. My eyes widened.

On the screens were scenes that looked like they were from all over the world. Some desert, and others forest, one was of a mansion, and another was a winter wonderland. I had known what to expect, but even so...

"Is Téa dueling... a penguin?" Keith asked incrediously, taking off his sunglasses to get a better look at one of the monitors. I leaned over to check it out. My chin dropped, "Wha-?"

Keith shook his head, "That's messed up." He frowned, "Wait, that isn't just some guy in a suit – that's Nightmare Penguin. A Duel Monster!" The American peered over the controls. His eyes widened and he leaned closer – Bandit Keith had finally stumbled across Noah's game play of virtual world mind manipulation.

The American looked at me, dumbstruck, as if he couldn't comprehend. Then Keith threw back his head and laughed. "Those idiots walked right into a trap!"

"Where's the room they're hooked up to?" I demanded, rolling across the floor in my chair to where Keith sat. He frowned, "These maps are an old military form. The room is located to the South down these two halls then the room is on the left."

Malik frowned. _I wouldn't get too excited just yet, that's only a holding room. You'd have to free their minds from here._

"Right," I breathed, thinking. I relayed the information to Keith. The American rubbed his chin, "I'd bet two packs of beer that if we free one of those punks some alarm will go off."

Malik nodded mentally, _Howard's right._

"Then we have to pick one that'll count," I said. My thoughts flew to Seto Kaiba. If anyone knew how to manipulate computers, it was him. "Seto – he's our best bet."

The American smiled at me slyly for a moment then nodded, "Alright, then. Let's get to work."

Keith, who wasn't exactly a technological genius, went ahead to the holding room where Seto would wake up. From there, he would bring the CEO directly to the operations room, and Seto could then free the rest of the minds. Of course, none of this would happen if I couldn't free Seto in the first place. I tentatively went to work.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

"Your company? Your company!" Noah laughed in Kaiba's face. "You think that's what I want? No, brother, KaibaCorps is mine by birth. What_ I_ want is - " The boy froze suddenly, his eyes narrowing to slits and his mouth transforming from a haughty laugh to an angry frown. Noah flew to his controls. "Why that little-!"

He jumped to his feet and waved his hand to his left, creating a door. As he went in he said over his shoulder, "Oh, Seto. Do try to be a good boy and don't touch anything." The door vanished behind him.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

"I hate firewalls," I grumbled. It had taken me a few tries to get into the system controlling the minds, but now everything I did was being blocked. My face brightened as I realized what I was doing wrong – and it all had to do with that one stupid red button.

"And just what do you think you are doing?" I jumped back as the face of Noah Kaiba filled the screens. Blue eyes, almost identical to his step-brother's, stared down at me.

"Um... Hello," I started, my mind working furiously to try to come up with something to say. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Indeed," Noah's eyes flashed. "Step away from the controls or I shall be forced to exterminate you."

"Exterminate," I repeated, my own eyes flashing in response. "Did your father teach you to do that?"

"My father!" Noah's anger was gone, replaced with genuine surprise. "How could you possibly-?"

"I know," I said. "And I also know you are making a mistake." As I talked, I slowly reached for one of the knobs to my left and turned it.

"A mistake," Noah snorted. "I highly doubt that."

"Oh, you do?" I asked, now moving my hand – reaching to the right. "You think your father is doing this for you? You think this will make your father love you! Well, let me inform you, Mr. Kaiba – you're being played the fool and you know it!"

I pressed the red button.

Beneath my feet the base began to rumble – and before my eyes the rumble turned into a roar. "YOU FOOL!" I watched as Noah was thrown aside from the screen, and a furious man with eyes like fire took his place.

Seething, Gozaburo Kaiba turned on me, "And you! How _dare_ you!"

"I-AHHHHGGGG!" The consoles turned to fire under my finger tips as pure electric energy pumped up my arms, overloading my brain.

_Elaine!_ Malik cried. My mind collapsed in on itself and the world fell out from under my feet.

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
Ouch... electrical burns are one of the most painful burns, did you know that? Also they look nasty afterwards... skin peeling off... and then the smell... -_shutters_- 

Please Review! I'm craving to hear your opinions! Especially what I can do better. (Yes – I am _not_ perfect!) I love hearing what you liked best or what made you laugh or whatever – but what I would _really_ love is hearing suggestions on what I can improve!


	35. Chapter 34

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 34: Escape from the Virtual World

Bandit Keith Howard huffed on the barrel of his gun then rubbed it with his bandana to produce a shine. He was in a white room filled with one control panel, that didn't seem to be working, and ten coffin looking purple things with "VR POD" written on the side. Eight of the PODs were filled and at the moment Keith was leaning against the base of Kaiba's POD – the person he was waiting for to wake up.

The American had half a mind to get a permanent marker, open up the PODs, and give them all mustaches – maybe even a goatee here and there. Grinning at his thoughts, Keith went back to shinning his gun.

_EEEEeeeeEEEEeeeeEEEEeeeeEEEEeeeeEEEEeeeeEEEE!_

He jumped as the alarms around the room went off. Flashing red lights and ear-splitting buzzers filled the area, turning it into a Horror House version of a disco. As fast as it had come, the ringing stopped, but the flashing lights still flared above Keith's head.

The door to Kaiba's VR POD slowly swung open and the CEO fluttered his eyelids for a second, snapped open and sat straight up.

"About time!" Keith shouted, already on his feet. "You have to get to the OPS Room! Come on!"

Kaiba easily climbed from the POD, looking over the room and Keith with a kind of disgust. "What are you-?" He spotted Mokuba in the POD next to him. With a lurch, he made to move to his brother's side. "Mok-! Ugh!"

Keith flung out his arm and caught Kaiba across the chest. "Did you hear me? Get your butt over to the Operations Room, pronto! It's down the hall, take two rights – can't miss it." The CEO did not budge, but his eyes were flashing. No one told Seto Kaiba what to do.

Keith ground his teeth. "You can either walk, or I'll tie you up and carry you," he said, flexing his muscles for emphasis. The two men glared at each other for a moment, then Kaiba, who had no doubt the American would carry out his threat, moved silently out the door.

Keith followed on Kaiba's tail, keeping an eye out for enemies, his gun in hand. "Hurry up, will ya? That Noah-freak probably send an army of those – GET DOWN!"

Keith shoved Kaiba's head down as laser blast flew at them. Kaiba had no clue what the American was trying to accomplish by getting to the 'OPS Room', but he began to get the impression that whatever they were doing – Noah did not like it, and that was good enough for him.

The American aimed his weapon and the machine went down with one shot. The victory was short-lived, however, as five new machines came to take the first one's place.

"Get to the control room – free the minds!" Keith shouted, now exchanging fire with the machines. "I'll hold 'em off!"

It irked the CEO to run from his foes, but Kaiba knew it would be pointless to stay. He darted down the hallway, following Keith's instructions, and found the room with little difficulty.

Kaiba had taken two steps into the control room when he paused in surprise. He recognized the girl leaning over the controls. "Elaine! How did you-?" As Kaiba moved closer he noticed the overloaded console under her unmoving body, and the slight smoke that rolled off her into the air. As president of an electronics company, Kaiba recognized electric shock when he saw it.

Cursing under his breath, he went to Elaine's side. She did not appear to be breathing, but when he pressed his fingers against her neck he found a strong pulse. Content she would not go into cardiac arrest anytime soon, he rolled her chair out of the way and pulled up another one for himself.

Kaiba sat down smoothly and examined the controls with a glance. Without a moments hesitation he went to work. Easily breaking through Noah's second-rate firewall, Kaiba soon found himself in the very inner workings of the system.

"Hello, son," Gozaburo Kaiba's face appeared on the monitors. Kaiba jerked his head up. Though he did not allow it to show on his face, he was stunned. The sudden entry of Kaiba's step-father was quite unexpected – especially since the old coot was supposed to be dead.

"What? No happy greeting?" Gozaburo feigned hurt. "Come now, Seto. Don't tell me you didn't miss your father!"

Kaiba narrowed his eyes as his brain began to analyze the situation. Things were beginning to make sense.

Kaiba smirked at the old man, "I would have danced on your grave... if I had known where it was."

Gozaburo's nostrils flared as he glared down at his adopted son, "You ungrateful little whelp!"

Kaiba ignored the comment and returned to his work – the CEO had better things to do than take a trip down memory lane.

The older man continued his rain of insults, but after observing their lack of effect, he quickly changed to a new subject. When Gozaburo hissed "Mokuba," Kaiba's eyes flickered to the screen. Gozaburo grinned, "That long-haired brat always was your weak spot."

Unable to ignore his step-father for another second, Kaiba looked up to face him. Gozaburo's grin widened, but Kaiba said coldly, "I have no weak spots."

"Oh really, Seto?" Gozaburo's eyes flashed and grew dark. "It's not like you to go into denial. I could help you, you know. I could get rid of that weak spot once and for all. Wouldn't you like that? No more worries – no more responsibilities. You can finally focus your full, undivided attention on..." Kaiba's step-father continued and Kaiba listened as long as possible, reminding himself that as a company president he must learn to endure such hardships.

Then something caught his eye. Convinced Gozaburo's rant would last an additional twenty minutes, Kaiba leaned forward, reached up, and pressed the MUTE button.

"Much better." Kaiba smirked up at his step-father.

The previous president of KaibaCorp was furious beyond measure. Gozaburo's face contorted in barely controlled rage, and while it was obvious he was shouting, Kaiba could not hear a word.

Pleased with himself, the CEO returned to his work.

------------------------------------------

After preparing the system, Kaiba was ready for the final phase of returning the minds from the virtual world back to their bodies. Unfortunately, Elaine was over the controls he needed. Kaiba pushed the girl gently to the side where her head rolled and landed squarely on a large, yellow switch.

Red lights flared to life and the screens flashed with the massage:

SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED  
TIME TO DETENATION: 00:05:00  
CONFIRM?

Elaine groaned, and before Kaiba could grab her, her head shifted again. Kaiba froze as the voice of an electronic woman filled the air. "The Self-Destruct sequence has been initiated. Count down to five minutes begins now..."

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Keith, now back in the holding room, struggled to wrap his arm up with his bandana. The machines had put up quite a fight, but the American had finally showed them who was boss. After running out of bullets, Keith had dived into a room for cover. To his wildest delight, the room was another armory... an armory of the largest artillery Keith had ever seen. They were all energy weapons, and one blast could take out multiple machines at once. Keith's favorite weapon quickly became the Arc Welder – its continuous electronic blast, normally used for welding metal together, cut down the competition in a heart beat. At the moment, it was resting at Keith's feet; in easy reach if any more machines came out to play.

The American did not come out of the action unscratched, which is to be expected when one is outnumbered twenty to one. The worst of his injuries was a stinging laser burn on his left arm. The blast had cauterized the wound, but it still burned like the devil.

Keith looked up as lights around the room began to flash. The PODS reflected the light, giving the room an eerie glow as a voice filled the room. Keith's mouth fell open.

"...For your safety, please evacuate the facility. This will be your last verbal warning. Have a nice day." With a click the message ended.

Bandit Keith dropped his bandana. "Oh my god..."

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Kaiba finished the mind release program, threw Elaine over his shoulder, and bolted out the OPS room. Legs pumping, he flew down the halls. Right – Left – Right – Kaiba followed the path to the exit he had memorized from the maps before leaving.

His mind was screaming for his brother, but Kaiba knew that if he went to the holding room there would never be enough time for him to reach the exit. The extra weight of the girl he was carrying made sure of that.

_That big-biceped oaf better get Mokuba to safety, or I swear-!_

The CEO reined in the extra anger and used it as fuel to propel him to the blimp even faster.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

"Where are they!" Mokuba wailed, standing at the mouth of the blimp. He was trying to be strong, like his brother would want him to be, but the fear kept growing.

The gang huddled by the hatch, watching for both their friend and Kaiba to return. Even Bandit Keith was there. Joey, trying to ease both his sister's and the smaller Kaiba's fears, said, "Don't worry, they'll be here any second. Isn't that right, Yugi?" Joey turned around. "Ah... Yugi?"

Yugi was watching one of the suited Kaiba employees as he entered the hallway. The man walked straight up to Mokuba. "Mr. Kaiba, we have to take off."

"What!" Mokuba shouted. "And leave Seto and Elaine?"

Téa cried, "You can't do that! They'd die!"

The employee looked at her, "And if we stay, _we'll_ die." He turned to Mokuba. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba, but we have no other choice."

_If Seto was here, would he leave me behind?_ Mokuba asked himself. Everyone was starring at him, waiting for an answer. The boy closed his eyes. _I can't betray my brother! - But if I stay I kill Yugi and his friends too!_

After taking a deep breath Mokuba opened his eyes and looked at the people around him. _I think Elaine would want to die if she knew it would save us. She wouldn't want us to stay here._ Mokuba looked out the hatch again, his head pounding. "O... Okay."

"Yes, sir," the man nodded promptly and headed out the hall, almost running. Mokuba's 'okay' seemed to echo throughout the hall. The boy and Friends all looked out the hatch, stunned that there was not one thing they could do to prevent the terrible events from occurring.

They didn't notice as Keith caught up with the worker. He had seen the look in Mokuba's eyes when the employee confronted him. Fuming, the American grabbed the employee and hissed, "What the heck was that about?"

The employee, of equal physical stature, was not intimated. "I'm sorry if you have a problem with us leaving your..."

"Yeah, I got a problem with you leaving Elaine there to rot," Keith said. "But you had to get _Mokuba_ to sentence them to death?"

"Without his brother," the man said, "Mokuba is my superior officer - "

"But he's a kid," Keith protested furiously. "You never should have made him make a choice like that!"

"Mr. Howard," the employee said coldly, brushing aside the American. "If you have a problem you can always leave." He motioned towards the blimp hatch.

Growling, Keith returned to his place with the others and continued watching the base for any sign of life.

The blimp slowly rose out of the landing bay, and then flew horizontally along the base for the first time. The facility was massive, at least three football fields across, like a fortress. Shining in the sunlight, most of the metal was covered with barnacles and other sea plants – speaking of the amount of time it had been down there... waiting for the Kaiba brothers.

_Whoosh_ – BOOM!

A missile flew past the blimp at jet speeds, causing the blimp to rock violently. The missile hit the base in the very center, sending up smoke and flames. The entire base seemed to shutter and the explosion began to grow, new and larger explosions radiating from the center like ripples in a pool.

"THERE!" Serenity shrieked, pointing wildly, "I see them!" Her eyes, now free of bandages, were locked on a shape in the distance.

It was the shape of a man running on the top of the facility, a large bundle over his shoulder.

"Seto!" Mokuba shouted. The blimp dived down and the group could make out Kaiba's face. Tristan and Duke shouted simultaneously, "Come on! Hurry up!" The explosions were increasing – both in speed and intensity. The pilot must of panicked, because the blimp started to speed up.

Huffing, the CEO got in line with the now accelerating blimp.

"Jump, Kaiba!" Yami shouted. Joey and Tristan leaned out to grab him. With a loud cry, Kaiba flung Elaine onto the blimp – flattening both Joey and Tristan in one _UMHP! _Then with a grunt, Kaiba grabbed unto the hatch and jumped aboard.

"BROTHER!" Mokuba cried, flinging himself into Kaiba's arms. Keith ran over to Elaine, "What'd you do to her?"

The blimp rocked violently, as one explosion came dangerously near to the flying vessel.

"Um, guys," Téa watched the fortress with wide eyes, "Those explosions are getting awfully close..."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Kaiba growled, stepping over Joey towards the control room. "There's no way I'm going to let that old man win."

"We won't be able to clear the blast in time!" Duke shouted.

Dashing into the control room, Kaiba threw the pilot from his chair and took the position himself. Smashing through the emergency controls, Kaiba slammed down the transformation button.

The entire gang was thrown to the floor and Serenity screamed as the body of the blimp fell away, turning into a jet plane. Just as the flames closed in around the ship, the afterburners kicked in – sending the jet speeding away from the clutches of Gozaburo to safety.

"That spoiled brat almost killed us!" Joey cried in shock, as they cleared the smoke. Kaiba leaned back in his chair. "It wasn't Noah, it was Gozaburo. My step-father."

Mokuba brought his head up, "Gozaburo?"

"Yes," Kaiba confirmed. He looked down at the smoldering ruins of the fortress. "And good riddance."

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The control room soon thinned out, and eventually consisted again of all KaibaCorp employees. Most of them were pretty rattled. For starters, none of them had ever been chased by an exploding fireball before, and secondly they had never seen their CEO that mad.

So, when one of the men noticed a problem, he was reluctant to mention it.

"Uh – there's a surge in conduit 5-B."

"What did you expect? We just flew through a fire bombardment."

"Think I should tell Kaiba?"

"Nah – he's got enough problems with that Yugi Bunch whining for a doctor. I guess one of the duelists got the bejesuses zapped out of her down there. Just watch it and inform him if it goes critical."

"That's easy enough," the employee nodded. He watched the screens for a few more minutes then went on a coffee break.

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
Poor Elaine... and her bejesuses.  
In the medical room again? Maybe the doctor should just assign Elaine her own cot.  
Well, time for the finals to start progressing... hopefully we should get some dueling action soon – _whoo hoo!_  
You've probably already figured this out, but I'd just like to clarify: 

------------------------------------------ a change/break in time  
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ a change in perspective


	36. Chapter 35

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 35: A Break from Adventure

_"Father?" the voice echoed in cyberspace – lost and alone._

_"Ahh... Noah," Gozaburo materialized next to his son. "You were not deleted, excellent."_

_Noah, with his father by his side, was suddenly confident, "Seto's defenses are down. He is not expecting an attack from the inside – the fool. We should strike now!"_

_"No," Gozaburo said harshly. "The last time we used your plans we failed miserably." Noah winced. "I have a plan of my own, but we must reach the island first."_

_Noah brightened in understanding, "Of course! Father, you're brilliant!"_

_"I know that!" Gozaburo snapped, "You don't have to repeat it. Now make yourself useful and hack into their files." A little hurt, the boy went as his father instructed._

_Now alone with his thoughts, Gozaburo smiled sinisterly. "Seto has thwarted me for the last time, and my revenge will soon be complete." He laughed aloud, "The moment that boy steps on my island will be his last!"_

_Gozaburo knew that no one could hear him, so he laughed all the louder._

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"It feels like someone split my head open with a sledge hammer," I complained for the one hundredth time.

The doctor chuckled, "And it will for another few hours."

I had awoken to the bright lights of the medical room, which were now giving me a headache. I was in the same cot as before, when Ishizu's turban wearing friend attacked me. (I had long since given up trying to find out who he was.) The foam mattress was a bit lumpy and the sheets were paper thin, but the port hole on the wall allowed in the light, so I was cozy.

The doctor told me I had been out for an hour. Then Keith poked his head in and filled me in on the escape details: From me wiping out both Joey and Tristan to the sudden decor change from blimp to high-powered jet. Yugi and Téa popped in to sit at the foot of the bed and see how I was doing, and Joey and Serenity came in once every thirty minutes to check on both myself and Mai.

"Serenity!" I gasped when they first visited. "Your bandages are off!" I was surprised to see deep, intelligent, brown eyes looking back at me. Usually, the only word I would associate with Serenity was: innocence.

Serenity blushed and touched her face while Joey grinned behind her. The girl said bashfully, "When I was in the virtual world..." She blushed again. "Well, I could _see!_ I know that place was a horrible trap, but it was so beautiful. When we returned to the real world, I couldn't stay in the dark any longer. I took my bandages off the moment my POD opened."

I smiled, "At least something good came out of that virtual mess."

The two Wheeler's soon left, and the doctor returned to check on me. Then he spent the next hour poking and prodding me with various equipment, writing everything down on a chart. He looked over his chart one last time and smile at me. "You might have a headache for another few hours. But, I do see a full recovery in your future."

"Great," I said. I sat up on my cot and pulled a monitor suction cup from my forehead. The doctor smile sympathetically and pushed me down, "I said in your future – not this instant."

The doctor returned to his instruments, adjusting the knobs here and there. "And to think! If you had been twenty years older you would have died!" The doctor laughed. He stuck the monitor cup back on my forehead, "Ah, to be young..."

"You don't get out much do you?" I asked. At the doctor's surly look I quickly changed the subject. "When can I get out of here?"

"Let me finish my examination first," the doctor said. He added, "You should be ready to leave by the time we reach Kaiba Island."

I nodded, "I think I can survive in here until then." As long as my dueling abilities weren't affected by my little electric adventure, I'd be fine.

"Please remember, Miss Murphy, that electricity gave your heart quite a jolt. So I want you to check with me every few hours, and you should return here _immediately_ if you experience any nausea or chest pain." He stuck a thermometer in my ear, "Now, sit still."

For the remainder of the flight I was a prisoner of the medical room. Dr. Grey would not let me leave, not even to get my deck to prepare for the next round. In truth, I mainly wanted to leave because the room gave me the creeps. It was disturbing to be surrounded by all the victims. Rex Raptor's pale, cold body—on the cot to my right—just didn't strike me as "homey."

I was just about to lose my mind when Mokuba came in. He was sweet enough to bring me my deck when I asked him, and returned it to me with the words, "We have a whole catalog of duel monster cards right here on the ship. You could trade for some... if you wanted."

"Mokuba," I said, "That sounds lovely." My deck, in truth, still had a lot of the beginner cards – if I wanted to stay in this tournament I needed to give it some extra _oomph!_

The boy grinned at me, "I'll grab my laptop and we can access the whole database from there."

As soon as Mokuba set the laptop on my bed, I felt a sense of panic and clutched my deck to my chest. Okay – so it was a beginner deck, but it was MY deck. It had pulled me through countless situations and saved my butt more than once. I was about to call the whole thing off when Mokuba clicked into the Fairy section of the catalog. My eyes started to glow and my hands loosened their grip on my cards. So maybe some changes can be good...

After making a few cautious trades, I got into the mood and became more daring. But no matter how 'daring' I became, the process was still nerve racking. Without Yami by my side giving me pointers, I couldn't help but wonder if I was ruining my deck.

_Have to cut the umbilical cord at some point._ There was humor in Malik's voice.

"Ha-ha, very funny," I muttered, but all I accomplished was an odd look from Mokuba.

Staring at the laptop screen, listening to Mokuba explain cards, and fighting between whether I wanted to trade my Dark Magician or Last Hope, exhausted me. When we were finished I was about ready to collapse onto my pillow and fall asleep. Mokuba must have noticed, for he very quietly packed up his laptop, told me I'd do great, and left.

I was just about to drift off when another entered the room, breaking the silence.

"If you cannot duel during the next round, Elaine, you will be disqualified."

At the sound of Seto Kaiba's voice I was wide awake. From what Keith told me, Seto had practically saved my life back on the base! But more importantly – he had the power to kick me out of the tournament. The CEO had come around to stand beside my cot. He towered above my bed so high that, even laying down, it felt like I had to crane my neck to look into his face.

"Don't worry about me," I said. "I'll duel."

"You better," Seto said in a low voice, then he left the room. After I was positive he was out of hearing range, I finished, "Yeah, I'll duel... and I'll kick your butt, too!"

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
Short and sweet...  
Don't worry, Elaine will get into some dueling some. The finals are about to begin!  
-_all jump up, wave Elaine-Flags, and shout: YEA!_-  



	37. HELP!

**WRITER'S BLOCK ALERT**

Okay, listen up people.  
I'm having problems writing my next chapter/section of the story,  
so I'll let you decide what I should write next.

One, you get a six-way duel  
(_that I really don't want to write due to lack of inspiration_).

Or two, you get a tropical fish race  
(_which sounds as weird as it is_).

Or, you could give me other ideas, which might be better in the long run...  
So – YOU DECIDE!


	38. Chapter 36

Okay happy people – I have decided to go ahead with the...  
Oh, come on! You couldn't honestly expect me to tell you!

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 36: The Arrival

_If you ever find yourself with an unwanted mental visitor electrocute yourself. It works great!_ I thought, trying to tempt Malik into a conversation. But Malik hadn't spoken since Mokuba had come to visit. His voice had just started to... fade. I bit my lip and wondered if being electrocuted was more serious than I thought.

Ever since Seto had left I was assailed by silence. The silence of the Shadow Realm victims and now the silence in my own mind. It was all I could do to make myself go to sleep so I didn't have to _listen_ to it anymore.

One of the times I woke up I found a small note next to my bed sitting on a monitor. It was held down by a black stone about the same size as my thumb. The note wasn't signed, all it said was, 'Good Luck.' It didn't seem like a joke, and it wasn't coated with anthrax, so I decided to hang on to it. With comatose reminders all around me, I knew I would need all the luck I could get if I hoped to survive the rest of the tournament.

The only person who broke the silence was Serenity, but I had a sneaking suspicion she really came to visit Mai. She asked me about Mai's condition as soon as she walked in, but the only answer I could give her was, "No change." I didn't say anymore. Talking about Mai made my stomach turn.

Serenity followed my gaze to Mai and asked, "You were good friends with Mai, right?"

"I, uh..." My throat closed. Up until the last few minutes before her duel with Marik, I thought Mai considered me a friend. But the last time we spoke I was a "someone holding her back." It was too late to make it up to her now. Locked in the Shadow Realm, she couldn't hear my apologize if I tried!

"I'd like to think so," I said, trying to smile for Serenity's sake. The girl smiled back, "Mai would say the same thing. You're strong like her, Elaine. In more ways than one."

"Thanks," I blushed. I wanted it to be true, but the last thing I remembered we had in common was we were female duelists. I shook my head, _Agh! I have to stop thinking about Mai!_ I turned to thinking about females and strength. "Do you think Téa thinks I'm strong?"

"I think she's jealous," Serenity said before I could take back the question. I sat up in confusion, "Why would she be jealous of me?"

The brunette looked surprised that I would ask. "Elaine, you're a much better duelist than she is." I blinked - I didn't know Téa _could_ duel. Serenity continued, "Téa was the first original Fairy duelist, sort of. She even beat Mai once!"

"No way!" I couldn't imagine Téa with a duel disk, much less defeating Mai.

"I'm serious. She used a card called Shining Friendship," Serenity said earnestly. I rolled my eyes, "Oh Téa... But so what if we both use Fairy monsters, that's no reason to be jealous!"

Serenity shook her head, "You don't understand, Elaine. You took dueling to the next level. And now, not only have you made a name for yourself, you also have more in common with Yugi and Joey than she ever could."

"But-!" I tried to stop her. Serenity sighed and smiled, "Yugi, Joey, you... you're _duelists_. Téa's not and her dreams are in a completely different direction!" I was shocked. Everything Serenity said was true, but it had never mattered before. Did Téa think I was _replacing_ her?

The girl didn't speak after that, but she held her hands and looked worried. I knew she could see her words had troubled me. Fortunately, the jet landed in the next few minutes, freeing us from our long awkward silence. Serenity left the jet ahead of me as I gathered up my deck and duel disk. Outside, I found Bandit Keith was sulking at the exit.

"What's the matter?" I asked as I started out the jet. "Lost your bandana?"

"Kaiba won't let me watch the rest of the duels," Keith said with a growl. "Part of the 'consequence' for cheating. That meathead wouldn't even let me enter the dueling tower!"

"That stinks." I could see why he was bummed. "I'm so sorry, Keith."

The American turned to look at me. "_You're_ sorry? I cheated you!"

I blinked, "Well, not allowing you to even watch the duels is kind of harsh... er..."

"You've forgiven me, haven't you!" He looked at me closely, then shook his head with a chuckle. "Wimp - If I were you, I'd never let me live it down." I gasped in surprise. I opened my mouth to protest, but nothing came out. Keith continued, "I think the little friendship talks with the Dancing Harpy are starting to go to your head. Those Japanese are a bad influence."

My voice came back. "Ha!" I snorted. "You're one to talk, Mister Upright and Honest."

Keith grinned, "That's much better." He took off his sunglasses and started to dig through the pockets on his leather vest. Before I could ask what he was doing, the American slapped a duel monster card into my hand. "I thought you might need some extra fire power. But remember, it's a _loan_. So if you lose it I'm going to hunt you down and gut you like a fish, understand?"

I was shocked, which made Keith grin some more. He slapped me on the back, "Now, go show them what a real American can do."

"Wait," I said quickly. "You can gut a fish?"

Keith chuckled and boarded the jet. "Good luck, Elaine." As he disappeared inside I turned the card over in my hand - Metalmorph. It was a trap, but doubled as an equip card. A monster equipped with Metalmorph would have its attack and defense increased by 300 points. Then, when attacking with a monster equipped with this card, its attack is increases by an amount equal to half the attack of the target. Talk about some extra fire power!

Still examining the card, I started down the beaten path. The island was hideous, rusty scrap metal and stripped wires everywhere. The contrast from the sleek, cutting edge technology of the jet was startling. I thought, _Seto must not be big on landscaping_. The island's one redeeming feature was the Dueling Tower. The sheer size was overwhelming; how it rose from the ruins into the sky. As I got closer the tower blocked out the sun completely and became a dark shape against the bright blue sky. A fitting place for the end of the tournament.

Inside the tower was a large entryway, six doors around the sides. Everyone, excluding Keith, was already there and waiting. I was about to ask about the doors when the referee called, "Duelists, please gather round! Here is where the second half of the Battle City finals will take place. Would each duelist please choose a door." He motioned to the six doors around him.

"I've got this door!" Weevil cried. He flew inside the door closest to him, nearly plowing over Joey.

I looked at Yami and mouthed, "What's going on?" But the Pharaoh had already vanished inside the door next to me. Meanwhile, Joey had began counting, "One potato, two potato..."

"How pathetic," Seto muttered, and he opened the door on his right. Following his lead, I likewise choose a door on my right and stepped inside. The door shut automatically behind me and I was enclosed in darkness. Groping forward, I stepped up and inched forward until my hands met solid wall. Suddenly the top of the room open and light streamed in. I was standing on a dueling platform!

Excitement flowed through my veins. I hadn't dueled since my disaster with Keith, and it was time to make up for it. The dueling station jolted under my feet, and I rose above the tower floor to a level marked at 4000. The entire inside of the Duel Tower was hexagonal, and continued above my head as far as the eye could see. Directly across from me was Weevil Underwood, who was looking around himself with confidence. Yami was on my right, and Seto was on my left. Next to Seto stood Marik, and across from Seto was Joey, who was eyeing the ground in apprehension.

"Kaiba, what's going on?" Joey demanded, clutching his station like no tomorrow. Seto chuckled, "Don't worry, mutt. Aaron will explain the rules." To the referee he added. "Be sure to speak slowly so Wheeler can understand."

Joey clenched his jaw, but there was nothing he could do suspended twenty feet above the ground.

The referee, standing safely inside the main body of the Duel Tower, began, "This is a preliminary duel to decide the match-ups for the semi-finals..." I listened in a kind of horror as the employee began to describe a free-for-all. How on earth could anyone possibly protect themselves against five other duelists! And to top things off, everything that happened was going to decide our opponents in the next round! The first two duelists to reach the top would face off in the first semi-final duel, and so on and so forth. The referee finished his speech, "Now, will you please connect your Duel Disks to the monitor at your station."

Joey looked under his Duel Disk, completely clueless. "Connect...?"

"Sir!" the referee called, "There's a cable under the disk... right there – no! Right _there!_ On your left! Your other left!" The blonde finally found it.

"Why do you people have to make technology so confusing?" Joey grumbled as he struggled to pull out the cable.

I quickly found my cable and plugged it in. The monitor flashed "READY" as soon as the Disk connected. I almost laughed; how could anyone be ready for a six-way duel!

The referee went on, "Remember, this duel will have no effect on your final placement. It will only decide who you'll face in the semi-finals." Yeah right! This was everyone's opportunity to control who they would face in the next round. This could be the most important duel of the whole tournament!

"Each duelist must chose one monster card from their deck," the employee announced. "You will go in order of the attack strenght of the monster you have chosen."

Chosen? I hadn't chosen anything yet! I quickly tore through my deck. Would taking a sooner turn give me an advantage? Or would later be best?

Seto held up his card and declared, "Masked Beast Des Gardius – 3300 attack points." Yami did likewise, "Feral Imp – 1300 attack points."

"I choose Rekunga – 1700 attack points," Marik shrugged. Joey, frantically tearing through his deck finally burst out, "Swordsman of Landstar! 500 attack points."

Weevil frowned then said, "I pick Insect Knight with 1900 attack points."

The referee turned then to look at me. I found the card I was looking for at the bottom of my deck, "Rogue Doll – 1600 attack points."

The man nodded, "The order will be Mr. Kaiba, followed by Underwood, Ishtar, Murphy, Moto, and then Wheeler." The duel stations activated and my Duel Disk hummed with power. Under my breath I muttered, "This is going to be a mess."

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
Okay - I chose the six-way duel. A word of caution! Because this duel already happened (as in the four-way one from the actual episodes) I tried to follow the original as closely as possible. Of course, it _will_ be different because Weevil and Elaine are there - but just because there are extra people doesn't mean the cards Kaiba, the Pharaoh, Joey, and Marik originally drawn will suddenly change. 

NOW YOU KNOW! But remember, if you want to read my new six-way duel version, review! (Yes – that _is_ a threat. Mwa ha ha ha!)


	39. Chapter 37

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 37: Battle Royal

"I set one card face down and summon my Vorse Raider!" Seto called as he threw his cards onto his duel disk. One card appeared directly in front of his duel station and a horrid looking Beast-Warrior took up a fighting stance at Seto's side.

My eyes widened in surprise – a four star monster with 1900 attack points! I looked down at my own hand, already I felt out of my league.

Weevil, with his squeaky voice, went next. "I play one monster in defense mode and place two cards face down." The insect-lover was practically quivering with anticipation as his cards appeared on the field. His defense monster was not shown and I couldn't help but wonder if it had a special ability when flipped.

"Newdoria in defense mode," Marik said rather lazily. A none too scary monster shimmered into existence in front of the Egyptian. No threat there.

Now for my turn. I examined my cards twice, then decided to play it safe. Numbers were my friend here, if I could just keep a low profile I could ride out the beginning of this duel and see what everyone was up to. Besides, there was no point in sticking out my neck just yet.

"I place two cards face down and summon Sylph in defense mode," I declared. "Then I end my turn." A good trap, a brand-new monster, and a handy magic card. Time to put my new cards to the test!

Sylph burst onto the field in front of me. A formidable fairy monster with 1400 attack points and 1700 defense.

I turned to watch as Yami called, "I play Big Shield Gardna in defense mode, then set two cards face down."

"And I, er..." Joey, who was supposed to be going next, looked at his hand in panic. "I set one card face down." A lone card appeared on the blonde's side of the field. With a tinge of embarrassment he ended his turn. I had to resist rolling my eyes – oh brother, Joey... No monsters? That had better be one powerful card in front of him.

Seto snorted, "And here's where we separate the losers from the winners." The CEO was looking at Joey. "You don't belong in my tournament, and it's about time someone did something about it. Vorse Raider! Attack Wheeler's life points directly!"

Joey's eyes widened and he cried, "Gah!"

The monster took a running leap and swung its ax at Joey's chest. The blonde flung up his arms to protect himself, but he needn't have bothered. The ax stopped an inch from Joey's shirt and then Vorse Raider returned to Seto's side.

"What!" Seto was taken a back.

"Oops," I said innocently. "Did I do that?" One of my face down cards was now up and active.

Seto growled as I said, "Your attack activated my trap card, Screeching Halt, which stopped your Vorse Raider in its tracks!"

Joey pumped the air, "YEAH! Nice one, Elaine!"

"No problem," I said, watching Seto's face – waiting for him to object. The CEO surveyed Joey and myself then said to the blonde, "Next time you won't be so luck-"

"Yes, yes. We get the idea," Weevil interrupted. "Now if you don't mind, it's my turn." The boy pushed his glasses up farther on his nose and drew a card. "I sacrifice my defense monster to summon my Fire Beetle!"

Weevil's defense monster shattered into a thousand pieces, and a large red beetle stood in it's place with an attack strenght of 700 and a defense of 1000. The beetle had flame markings on it shell, glowing yellow eyes, and furry antenna that twitched left and right. From the sidelines Téa was appalled, "Ew! It's disgusting!"

The bug-boy continued, "Then, I activate my magic card, Defense Penetration!"

"And just what is that supposed to do?" Joey demanded. Seto snorted, "It gives a monster the ability to perform battle damage on any defense monster of the holders choice... and I figured that out from the title."

"Quite right, Kaiba!" Weevil said. The he turned to me, "And I choose your Sylph!"

My heart jumped – I had used my only trap card to help Joey! I looked frantically from my fairy to the enemy bug and realized I was getting worked up over nothing.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Weevil," I said. "But 700 attack points can't do squat to a monster with 1700 defense points!"

"Are you so sure about that?" Weevil laughed. "Fire Beetle! Attack her monster now!"

The beetle snapped out it's wings and flew at my fairy, turning into a fireball. It hit Sylph who let out a shriek and was reduced to ashes that sparkled and vanished from off the field. My mouth fell open, "What'd you do!"

"Obviously you're not an insect duelist," Weevil grinned. "If you were, you would know about Fire Beetle's special ability! For every non-insect monster in play, my Fire Beetle gets an increase of 500 attack points!"

Joey held up his hands and began to count on his fingers, "Uh... 700, 1200, 1700 - "

"It's 2700 attack points, you fool," Marik said. Weevil smirked, "So that means your life points drop to – hey!" Weevil grunted in surprise as his dueling station rocketed upward to the 3000 level mark. He cried, "What?"

"You walked straight into my trap, Weevil!" Yami held up his trap card. "Your Fire Beetle activated my trap card, Ricochet! It allows me to transfer the battle damage done by one monster back to its source – which would be you!"

"No fair!" Weevil cried. Now that he was above our heads I could bearly hear him. I sighed with relief, "Whew – thanks Yami. That was a close one."

"That's what friends are for," Yami said. From the opposite side of the field, Marik yawned, "How touching. Now I draw!" The Egyptian looked over his cards for a second and then went to action. "I place one card face down and summon Lord Poison!"

He turned to Seto, "Then I switch Newdoria to attack mode and attack Vorse Raider."

Newdoria, with an attack of 1200, shattered against Seto's more powerful monster. But Marik did not blink, he simply informed us, "When Newdoria is sent to the graveyard, it can destroy one monster on the field – sorry, Kaiba."

Vorse Raider dropped its ax and crumpled up in silent agony, then it exploded with a blast that ruffled Seto's hair. Marik waved his hand, "And now I play the magic card, Spell of Pain." He smirked. "A card very simular to the one you just played, Pharaoh."

Yami's eyes narrowed as Marik explained, "It allows me to transfer battle damage to another player." He waved his hand again and I cried out in surprise as my station lurched to the 3300 mark. I had just lost 700 life points! The station wobbled violently underneath my feet and I had the sudden vision of me falling to my death. I leaned over the side of the station after the wobbling stopped and glared down at the Egyptian. Marik chuckled with amusement.

Well, he's not going to be chuckling very long because now it's my turn! With a snap of my wrist I drew my next card.

Marik only had Lord Poison, a monster of average strenght, on the field – and while I definitely wanted to take a chunk out of his life points, I needed to decide on who I wanted to face in the finals. I chewed my lip as I thought.

Zack's summaries – which were becoming more useless as I slowly changed events around me – told me the desires of the other duelists, except Weevil's. Of course, I didn't give a care what they wanted. I knew I couldn't duel Yami or Marik. The Pharaoh was my friend; I was trying to help him, not hinder him! Marik was, plainly, just too powerful for me to take on, especially now that I had just come from a medical bed. I suppose I could duel Joey – I looked up just in time to see the blonde scratching at a wedgie – okay, I am _not_ dueling Joey! Weevil was next on the list, but personally I found him beneath me. Sure, he had managed to get one attack through my defenses, but I knew enough about him to pass him off as a real loser.

Out of the corner of my eye I examined the man on my left. Seto Kaiba was my only option. If I could win Obelisk the Tormentor... my thoughts were transported to the first few hours of my time in the Yu-Gi-Oh World during my trip in the back of Seto's limo. There I had felt the power of the Gods for the first time. Yes, Obelisk would definitely be an asset – especially if I ever faced Marik. Also, to defeat Seto Kaiba in a duel... that would be incredible! My duels with the Rare Hunters and others just couldn't compare to a duel with one of the greatest duelists on the entire show. Seto Kaiba had only been defeated by one person – Yugi Moto. So if I defeated him...

I looked to where the Friends and others watching stood. One of those was Mokuba. How would he feel if I defeated his brother? Would he suddenly start hating me?

And what if I lost?

I shook my head. Stay concentrated on the duel, I thought to myself. I had already lost 700 life points, so now it was time to bring Seto up to my level. And with no monsters on the field his life points would be an easy target. Besides, once the CEO got into the duel, I'd probably never have another chance to touch his life points!

I picked a four star monster out of my hand and placed it attack mode on my dueling disk. "I play Fair Cicada!"

"Not another cutsie, fairy monster," Seto muttered. I froze, and turned slowly to look at him. CUTSIE? My eyes flashed a darker green.

"Fair Cicada!" I called with vengeance. "Attack Seto's life points directly and blow him out of this duel!" The fairy drew the sword attached to her short green gown, and prepared to attack.

With a shriek my monster flew across the field, and in one stroke sliced the CEO up the chest with her broad sword. Seto was flung against the back of his duel station and he grabbed the front of his shirt, glaring at me.

"Was that cute enough for you?" I asked with a slight snarl. But when I looked at my score board I saw Seto's life points still remained at 4000. I brought my head up, "What!" Seto hadn't activated any trap cards! How could my attack be ineffective!

"Hehe!" Weevil grinned, "You're not the only one with a trap card! I activated Negate Attack!"

Tristan's mouth fell open, "Weevil helped Kaiba?"

Duke snorted, "Never thought I'd see that happen."

"HAHAHA!" Joey shouted, doubling over. "KAIBA AND WEEVIL SITTIN' IN A TREE...!"

Meanwhile Seto stood silently fuming. Looked like he didn't appreciate the help. But why would Weevil protect Seto in the first place?

Frustrated that my attack had failed, I ended my turn.

The Pharaoh drew a card and declared, "I sacrifice my Big Shield Gardna to summon the unstoppable Beast of Gilfor!" The monster burst onto the field with a whopping 2200 attack points. Yami now had the most powerful monster on the field!

"Now my beast," Yami shouted, "Destroy Kaiba's life points!"

"Attack Guidance Armor!" Seto shouted almost simultaneously. The trap card popped up in front of him. "My trap allows me to deflect your attack to a different monster, Yugi!" I gulped – I was completely open! "Say goodbye to your Lord Poison, Marik!"

I sighed with relief as the attack flew across the field and away from me. Then Marik started laughing, "Nice try, Kaiba, but I activate my own trap card: Mirror Force! And I deflect the attack back onto you, Pharaoh!"

"I think not!" Yami shouted. "You've activated my counter trap, Seven Tools of the Bandit! Your Mirror Force is destroyed!"

Marik grunted as his trap failed and Yami's attack blew Lord Poison out of the sky. The Egyptian's life points dropped to 3300 – he was now at the same level as me! Eeek!

I blinked in surprise as Yami zoomed past me in his duel station to the 3000 mark, next to Weevil. Did I miss something?

"Fool," Marik said under his breath. Because I was at the same level, I was the only one able to hear him. "The Pharaoh has to pay 1000 life points to use Seven Tools. He's done nothing but hurt himself."

Mokuba was ecstatic, "This is so exciting! Everyone can attack anyone, so you never know which attack will hit who."

"Yeah," Téa groaned. "Just watching them gives me a headache."

"Hey! Quiet over there!" Joey said. "Its my turn! Prepared to be amazed!"

"I'll just be amazed if he doesn't fall out of his chair," Seto said loudly enough for Joey to hear. The blonde glared at the CEO, "You are soo going to regret that, Kaiba!"

He drew a card and grinned broadly. "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight! Now save yourself from this, bankroll! Gearfried, attack Kaiba directly!"

Seto grunted as Gearfried cut out 1800 life points. Blue eyes flashing, he rose to the 2200 level mark. Now Seto had the least amount of life points in the entire duel!

Joey, extremely pleased with himself, finished his turn by setting one card face down.

Now it was Seto's turn. He drew a card and went to work with determination. One could tell by the look on his face that he did not want to lose this duel. The CEO set three cards face down, played Blade Knight, a monster with 1600 attack points, then attacked Marik's life points directly. Marik was now at the 1700 level mark. Veins bulging more than usual, the Egyptian growled and clutched his Millennium Rod more tightly.

With the way this duel was going, I'd end up dueling Joey!

Weevil went next, "I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn." The Fire Beetle sat restlessly at Bug-Boy's side. Why hadn't Weevil attacked?

"I summon Dark Jeriod!" Marik declared, his voice cutting through my thoughts. "And my monster's effect allows me to lower the attack strength of any monster on the field by 800 points." I watched with a groan as my Fair Cicada's attack points were cut in half. Marik continued, "Attack the Fair Cicada now!"

My deck had been evil to me – all I had were magic cards! I looked from Joey to Yami. Okay, I thought, one of you two better help me out here.

"I play my Shrink card!" Seto shouted suddenly. "Allowing me to shrink any monster of my choice attack points in half!"

Yes! With Dark Jeriod's attack cut in half it would only have 600 attack points! And even my weakened Fair Cicada, with 800 attack points, would able to withstand that!

I was about to thank my would be rescuer, but then I noticed it wasn't Dark Jeriod that was shrinking.

"Seto!" I shrieked in shock as my monster's attack points dropped to 400. I was thrown backwards as Fair Cicada was destroyed and my life points dropped to 2500. I held onto my station as I rose to the 2500 mark, moving past Yami and Weevil. But I wasn't mad, in fact I was positively glowing with glee!

Now I was close enough to Seto's 2200 life points to have a real chance of meeting him in the finals!

Drawing a card from my deck I looked at my hand with disappointment. I had just drawn Shield and Sword, another magic card! Still no traps! And not even a powerful monster!

"I place one card face down and summon a monster in defense mode," I said, watching as the cards appeared in front of me. I had 2500 life points, but the way this duel was going I wouldn't have them for much longer. Yes, it was true I wanted to lose some life points so I would be at the same level as Seto... but if anyone got past my defense monster I'd be completely unable to keep myself of getting blasted out of the duel all together!

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
Duels are soooo much fun! It's very rewarding to see how they turn out. 

Hey, I have an IMPORTANT ISSUE to bring up. How many of you remember this scene from Chapter 2: Dreaming of Egypt?  
_"Who am I?" I asked. Nothing seemed to make sense.  
Ishizu smiled softly and said, "You are **Kamilah**."  
_But wait! Isn't it Kamishla? Well, to be honest I have no idea anymore!

So the IMPORTANT ISSUE becomes: Which name do you like best: Kamilah or Kamishla? Please review and give me your answers!  
(Note: Kamilah is an actual Arbic name, whereas Kamishla is a weird variation that I somehow came up with.)  



	40. Chapter 38

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 38: Battle Royal (Part II)

"I am so confused," Téa groaned, as she looked on at the duel. "What is going on?"

"Joey's in the lead with 4000 life points," Duke started. Tristan interrupted, "Who would have guessed that?"

The Dice Lover glared at Tristan and continued, "Yugi and Weevil come next tied with 3000 life points, Elaine has 2500, Kaiba is at 2200, and Marik is last with 1700."

"I don't think it will stay like that for long," Serenity piped up. "It's Yugi's turn, and he has the most powerful monster on the field."

The Pharaoh drew his next card and looked down at his hand. I stood anxiously, wondering what he was up to. Then with a hint a deliberateness Yami looked straight at me and then at Joey. I held my hand a little harder. I didn't know what he was up to, but I he was going to need my help.

"Beast of Gilfor!" Yami shouted, "Destroy Weevil's defense monster!"

Weevil rolled his eyes, "All right, Pharaoh. I don't care."

"Do you care now?" I challenged as I activated one of my magic cards. "Shield and Sword! Switch Weevil's defense monster into attack mode!"

A small bug appeared where the face down card had been. Even though I had never seen Weevil duel before, I recognized the card Petit Moth. It only had 300 attack points.

Weevil gulped, "Uh oh."

"That ain't all you're going to be saying!" Joey shouted, "I activate the magic card Nasty Surprise, which increases the battle damage done in a turn by two!"

Weevil squealed, and fumbled over his cards helplessly. Yami shouted, "You're finished, Weevil!"

Beast of Gilfor sliced through the Petit Moth easily, and Weevil jumped up and down in anger as his life points dropped to zero. "No fair! No fair!"

"YEAH!" Joey shouted, giving Yami and myself virtual high-fives. "Weevil is bug-history! Now that's the power of friendship!"

"Whoa!" Mokuba shouted from the sidelines, "That was incredible!"

Téa nodded, "Teamwork always is. Your brother should try it some time."

I smiled at events. Weevil was completely wiped out of the duel, and Marik was right behind him. As far as I was concerned those two could take each other out.

Leaning over the side of my station, I looked down at Joey to see what he would do for his turn. The blonde drew a card and smiled broadly.

"I sacrifice Gearfried to summon Buster Blader!" Joey declared, and a powerful warrior of 2600 attack points appeared on the field. I grinned, Come on Joey! Blow Marik out of the duel for good!

But the blonde pointed his hand at the wrong person. "Sayonara, Kaiba! Show him your stuff, Buster Blader!"

I blinked. Not Marik?

Seto laughed, "If you think you can ever touch my life points again you are sorely mistaken! First I activate Ring of Destruction, and then Ring of Defense!"

"All right!" Mokuba cheered. "Go Seto!"

"Wait," Serenity said, "I don't know what any of those cards do."

"Ring of Destruction destroys any attacking monster, then inflicts direct damage on both duelists equal to the destroyed monster's attack points," Duke explained. Serenity gasped, "But that would knock Kaiba right out of the duel!"

"No way," Mokuba said, "Seto's Ring of Defense protects his life points. Joey should know better than to mess with my brother."

"Hold on Joey!" Serenity called.

Joey grinned down at her, "Don't worry, sis! I got it covered!" The blonde waved his arm to his face down card. "I play my trap card, Graverobber! And thanks to this little guy I can take your Spell of Pain, Marik!"

The Egyptian growled as his trap appeared next to Joey. All right! I thought, now Joey can bypass Marik's monster and get his life points directly. Brilliant!

"Say goodbye to your life points... Elaine!" Joey cried.

I blinked in surprise, "What?" I looked at Joey. "Did you just say _my_ name!"

"Sorry," Joey said, and I watched in horror as my life points dropped from 2500 to zero. My duel station jolted upward and I shouted down at Joey furiously, "WHEELER! YOU BACKSTABBER! WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP, YOU LOUSY CRETIN!"

"Have fun with Weevil!" Joey called up after me. I starred down at the blonde, my hands curling into fists. I hit the monitor in frustration, making my hand throb. I saw red and my chest was so tight it hurt. I closed my eyes, knowing what was happening. These were Malik's emotions, not mine! I so did not need this now! I breathed deeply and tried to clear my head. Now it was ringing and I was beginning to feel dizzy.

"Elaine!" Mokuba shouted, "Are you okay?"

"Never been better," I shouted back down to him, trying to calm down. The grinning face of Weevil didn't help. As my duel station came to a stop I found myself face-to-face with one duelist I really didn't feel like dueling.

The boy pushed his glasses up farther on his nose as he smiled wickedly. "Greetings, Murphy. Soon my insects will be feasting on your soul!"

"Riiight," I said. First Weevil calls Yugi 'Pharaoh' and now he's talking about souls? Was it just me, or was someone drinking a little too much beetle juice?

_I may have something to do with his behavior._

"Malik! Your back!" I shouted. Weevil jumped in surprise and I quickly covered my mistake by saying loudly, "What are you looking at?" To Malik I whispered, "What do you mean?"

_Weevil was my Plan B in case Odion failed in his duel against the Pharaoh._

I turned so bug-boy couldn't see my face and hissed, "And you picked Weevil?"

_Not one of my more brilliant moments,_ Malik admitted. _I hired Weevil to take out some of the competition. In return, I promise to turn Wheeler into his personal mind slave and retrieve his Insect Queen... after we had succeeded in destroying the Pharaoh._

"Oh great," I grumbled. "Any thing else you aren't telling me?"

_To increase Weevil's efficiency as a duelist I gave him complete access to my card selections._

"You mean all the powerful cards your Rare Hunters won?" I asked in disbelief. Malik nodded mentally, _Correct._

"Oh, for the love of-!" I exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

You weren't dueling Weevil before hand – I didn't think it mattered.

"So does Weevil have Shadow Magic?" I demanded, remembering the unconscious Rex in the medical room.

_Hardly_, Malik assured me. _During his last duel I activated the Shadow Realm to give him an edge. I certainly will not be doing that now._

"What about Marik? Will he-?"

_That is a possibility._

"Oh man," I groaned. "I can't duel in a Shadow Game!"

At this point, Weevil cackled evilly and smiled at me. I forced myself to smile back.

From below me there was a "Argh!" and the next thing I knew Marik, fumming, was on the same level as Weevil and myself.

"Oh look," I drawled. Even though I wasn't feeling too hot, there was no way I'd pass up a chance to put my favorite Egyptian in his place. "It's Loser Number Three."

"Strong words for Loser Number Two." Marik plucked at his cape and adjusted his arm bands. "Have a good time on that water base without me?" He was smirking.

"I had a blast," I said coldly, then I turned to Weevil and said, "Excuse me while I look for the Raid®."

I lowered myself to the floor of my duel station and leaned my head against the back. This was perfect. Now I'd get to spend my first half of the Semi-Finals dodging insects. I took my deck out of my dueling disk and began laying the cards out at my feet. Better start thinking of how I was going to beat that bug.

------------------------------------------

"I hope you're prepared to be swallowed by darkness."

"Keep dreaming Marik," Joey retorted, "I know marshmallows that pack more of a punch than you."

I gathered my cards and stood up to see Joey sitting at the zero life point level. He was watching Marik intensely. I gasped, "Joey! How'd you get up here? You had 4000 life points!"

Joey shrugged, "Rich-Boy helped with that, then Yugi finally saw the light." He paused for a second, "Sorry about blasting you, but I have to duel Marik."

"Joey, you do realize who you're facing," I said earnestly. "This is Marik we're talking about. Your crazy to want to duel him! Joey, you'll end up like Mai!"

"You worry too much," Joey said, he slammed a fist into his palm. "I'm going to crush that creep once and for all."

Marik leaned back against his station, "Believe it or not, I can hear you." He seemed amused, and we ignored him.

_Wheeler is on a one-way ticket to the Shadow Realm._ Malik snorted, _What an idiot._

"Don't say that!" I hissed under my breath. Malik raised an eyebrow, _You know it as well as I do. Joey Wheeler couldn't defeat Marik if he was blindfolded and handcuffed!_

"Think you'll be able to take on Four-Eyes over there?" Joey asked me. I rolled my eyes, "Oh please! My duel will be over in five turns."

Joey grinned, "If you say so, Elaine. Just keep an eye on him – he's one slimy dude."

"Not really. You've defeated Weevil. Yami, er... Yugi's defeated Weevil. It's a tradition!" As I spoke I felt my confidence growing. Weevil had some access to some powerful cards, big whoop. It takes more than great cards to be a great duelist. Besides, since when did an insect win anything?

"The duels will proceed as thus!" Aaron called from off to the side. Yami and Seto had joined the rest of us. The referee continued, "Murphy verses Underwood, followed by Wheeler verses Ishtar, and lastly Moto verses Mr. Kaiba. May the first duel begin!"

"Oh!" I gasped as my duel station rocketed upward. In a split second I was on top of the tower, staring at Weevil across the way. My station sunk into the metal floor around me, leaving me standing at my side of a dueling ring.

The Friends were already off to the side, and the other four duelists had taken up their customary places. Mokuba called, "Kick his butt, Elaine!"

"Are you ready to hand over your rarest card?" Weevil taunted. I met his sly smile with a seasoned smirk of my own.

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
If Marik was blindfolded and handcuffed, I think _I_ might even have a chance at winning. Of course, if he was really blindfolded and handcuffed I probably wouldn't duel him at all. I'd just throw spit wads... or tuna cans. Oh, even better, angry cats! Angry _wet_ cats! 

Yeeess... How do you like kitties now, my little Egyptian? MWA HA HA HA!

By the way - I changed my e-mail address. Check my profile if you want to see it.


	41. Chapter 39

I'm sorry for the late update, but it's all **Wolfdemonness**' fault! She fried Weevil with a flame-thrower and so he was stuck in the hospital for three months because he needed facial reconstructive surgery.

_JK!_

He just needed facial reconstructive surgery 'cause his face makes small children cry. :'(  
(Poor small children...)

**Wolfdemonness**, I'm just so baffled I must know.  
In your last review: "Keith's quote was from the Grinch movie wasn't it?"  
Well I haven't actually seen the Grinch movie, so...  
WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

And while I'm at it... **KamiKaze no Kage**, does your Pen Name mean something?

* * *

Question: Are you, my wonderful readers, remembering to read my review responses?

* * *

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 39: Welcome to the Wonderful World of Insects

The referee emerged from the floor on his elevator platform. "May the duelists trade and shuffle their decks."

Weevil looked surprised, then a grin spread over his face. He walked towards me, eyes glittering, "Of course!"

I remembered Zack telling me about Weevil's insect combo that involved sneaking an insect card into his opponent's deck. If I gave Weevil my deck, he'd gladly do the same to me.

"Actually, I'd rather have you shuffle my deck," I said, practically shoving it into the referee's hands. The referee raised an eyebrow, but shuffled my deck and then Weevil's. Content I had avoided one trap, I went back with my cards feeling a bit more confident.

"Good move, Elaine," Joey said, "Don't let that fleabag near your cards!"

"Hmph!" Weevil snorted, "As if I would want her pathetic fairies." I let the insult slide and activated my duel disk. Instead of the bat-like holoprojectors flying out, my side of the dueling ring began to glow around the edges. Soon both Weevil and I were surrounded in blue light.

The referee called across the ring, "Begin."

I froze, waiting for the shadows to cover the field. The duel ring became deathly silent as even the gang held their breaths. I started to breathe again as the sun continued to shine and everything remained normal. It looked like Marik wasn't going to help Weevil with a Shadow Game.

I drew five cards and glanced over my hand. My cards weren't impressive: two average monsters, two traps, and a lone magic card. But because I wasn't locked in a Shadow Game, it felt like I had drawn the best cards in the history of Duel Monsters.

"Regional champions first," Weevil said, looking at me with a sly grin. Turning to his hand, he touched his chin thoughtfully, "Now which lucky bug should I let take the first bite...? I know! I place one card face down, then I play Pinch Hopper in attack mode."

A grasshopper taller than Seto appeared on the field. It was an ugly green chewing machine, and it rubbed its wings together in a menacing _crick_. Bugs didn't normally scare me, but seeing my reflection in the eyes of a giant grasshopper made me a bit squeamish.

_Concentrate on the numbers,_ Malik said harshly. I turned away from the large eyes, and did as told. I was surprised at what I found. With a slight grin I realized,_ Pinch Hopper has only 1000 attack points... if that's the best Weevil's got, this duel will be a snap!_

"I place one card face down, also," I declared. "Then I summon Rogue Doll! Attack Weevil's Pinch Hopper with your Spectrum Slap!" Rogue Doll burst onto the field and charged. With 1600 attack points verses 1000, my monster would win hands down. Weevil squealed in surprise as my monster cut through his insect like a warm knife through butter. His life points dropped to 3400 and I frowned.

The card Weevil placed face down hadn't been a trap?

_He must be pretty confident if he thinks he can slide a 1000 ATK monster by me without some protection, _I thought. _It must be a magic card then. Weevil normally uses magic combos to attack. _

I needed to stay on the offensive until I could find a way to take out his magic cards. It was just like my last duel with Keith. I'd have to take out as many life points as possible before Weevil could get his combos together!

Speaking of Keith, the only weak spot insect monsters had were _machines_. That was how Joey won against Weevil in their last duel. Of course, I didn't have any machine monsters. Only Fairies, Spellcasters, and the occasional Warrior lived in my deck. I'd have to be looking for another weak spot as the duel continued... if insects monsters _had _another weak spot...

"Oh well," Weevil said as his monster vanished from the field. "Looks like Pinch Hopper will have to go hungry. I guess I'll have to summon a new monster to take his place." Another insect appeared on the field.

My eyes flashed. "Hey!" I shouted angrily, "Wait your turn, Weevil! You can't summon..."

"Don't quote the rules to me!" Weevil shouted back, "I know them better than you! What you _don't_ know is that my Pinch Hopper has a special ability." My eyes narrowed. So that's why he didn't use a trap. He had wanted me to destroy that card.

"Once Pinch Hopper is sent to the graveyard I can special summon one insect monster from my hand," Weevil declared. I looked from the insect duelist to his new monster. The bug only had 1400 attack points, 200 less than the monster I had on the field. Weevil laughed, "Say hello to my Ultimate Insect-3!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Ultimate? I've seen lady bugs pack more of a punch." Without any other cards to play, I ended my turn. In the back of my mind Malik whispered, _Don't let that monster's appearance fool you. If Weevil sacrificed a monster to summon that card..._ I nodded my head and muttered, "Special ability."

Weevil drew his next card. He threw out his arm and shouted, "Ultimate Insect-3, attack with your Right-Wing Slicer!"

The insect flew across the field, ramming Rouge Doll with its now glowing right wing. The following explosion caught me off guard, and I barely activated my trap card in time.

"What's this!" Weevil snarled. "Your stupid spellcaster should have been destroyed!"

I watched my life points drop by 100, but said, "You activated my trap card, The Ageless! Though I still lose life points, it allows me to keep my monster on the field." Another glance at my Rouge Doll showed that its attack points had dropped to 1300. My jaw dropped, "What!"

Weevil grinned, "Looks like you finally noticed my insect's special ability. As long as my Ultimate Insect-3 is on the field, my opponent's monsters lose 300 attack points."

"That slimeball," Joey growled. "Wipe that smirk off his face, Elaine!"

With that annoying bug on the field I needed a monster with at least 1800 attack points in order to touch Weevil's life points. I drew my next card and grinned. One of my new monster cards!

"First I place one card face down, and then I sacrifice Rouge Doll to summon Crimson Elf!" I declared. A thin she-elf in bright red robes took the place of my Rouge Doll. With 2000 attack points, not even the special ability of Weevil's monster could save him now. My monster's attack points dropped to 1700, but that was still more than enough. "Crimson Elf, blow his insect off the field!"

"Not so fast!" Weevil cried. He snorted and pushed his glasses up farther on his nose. "You can't attack with a tribute monster on the same turn it's summoned."

I smiled, "You can if you play a Quick Attack magic card."

Weevil blinked, "What? That's not supposed to happen!" Crimson Elf moved for the attack, but Weevil activated one of his cards in a panic. "Prevention!" My monster returned to my side.

"Hey!" Téa shouted. "Didn't Elaine just say her monster _could_ attack?"

Yami shook his head, "Weevil's trap card is the opposite of Elaine's Quick Attack. It keeps an opponent from attacking during the duration of their turn."

"Which means Elaine just used up a Magic Card for nothing," Duke added.

"Quiet down there!" Weevil snapped. "It's my turn." He drew a card, but hardly looked at it. "Oh Murphy, I forgot to mention my Insect-3's other ability."

Another special ability? I shouted, "And what would that be?"

"During the beginning of my turn, I can send Ultimate Insect-3 to the Graveyard to special summon Ultimate Insect-5 from my deck! Isn't it wonderful?" Weevil crowed.

I gulped as a 2300 attack point strong monster appeared on Weevil's side of the field. Malik hissed, _He isn't using magic combos, he's using monster combos! Each turn he's building up his strenght._

Weevil took two cards from his hand and placed them on the field saying, "I place two cards face down. And now I order you to attack Murphy's pathetic elf!" Crimson Elf's attack points were now at 1500. Insect-5 lunged forward, a huge stinger at the ready. My life points dropped to 3100 as Crimson Elf was destroyed.

"Ha!" Weevil laughed mockingly, "Gone after one sting? She must be allergic."

I growled and started to talk back, but I was interrupted by soft laughter. My blood went cold as I saw Marik watching our duel with amusement. But that wasn't all – his Millennium Rod was beginning to glow.

"Look Murphy, the shadows await you," Weevil smirked. I looked up in horror to see dark mists forming over the duel ring. Marik had summoned the Shadow Realm!

"Not this again!" Téa cried, and the Pharaoh shouted, "Elaine, get out of there!"

It was like watching the beginnings of a tornado. The sky distorted as it swirled above our heads like a black hole. From the hole came a dark mist, stretching out, long and thin, like tentacles. Without warning the strings shot out and showered down in arcs around the dueling ring, cutting Weevil and I off from the others and the rest of the world. More strands followed, weaving around the ring. The Shadow strands hardened, then turned white. At the top of the duel ring they met to create a horrible spider web, and my legs began to shake as I realized what was going on.

A soft rumble followed the completion of the web - I could feel it in my bones rather than hear it. Out of the hole came a large head. It was black with yellow hairs sprouting from around the eyes – all eight of them. The head was followed by the thorax, then the abdomen. It was a huge spider, exactly like a black widow only instead of a red hour glass on its belly there was a golden eye. The shadow spider landed at the center of the web, over the middle of the dueling ring, examining Weevil and myself with drooling pinchers.

" 'Welcome,' said the spider to the fly," Weevil grinned, " 'To the wilder side of the Shadow Realm!' "

"What's going on, Wee-? Ah!" I was knocked to the ground as web shot out of the spider's abdomen, hitting me smack dab in the stomach. Web strong as steel formed around my elbows, locking my arms to my sides. Furious, I got to my feet and strained to free myself. "Call your stupid spider off! I haven't lost yet!"

But Weevil didn't answer. When I looked at him I saw the same web locking his knees together. Weevil grinned, "The spider spins its web throughout the duel, Miss Murphy. For every life point you lose, you are weaved further into the spider's grasp. The loser will be wrapped completely in a cocoon and then the spider will consume their soul! Ha ha!"

I struggled against the web binding my arms more frantically, "What!" At the same moment, another burst of web caught my right leg. I couldn't bend at the knee!

"Elaine!" Mokuba cried. He pulled at his brother, "Seto, what's going on!" But the older Kaiba didn't answer.

_Can you move your hands?_ Malik demanded. I hissed, "I can barely move my arms!"

_No, _Malik said quickly. _Can you still draw cards?_

My eyes widened. I tested my hands and found that, even though I was bound at the elbows, I could still draw and play my cards. Malik growled, _If that web gets your hands you won't be able to duel. You'd lose automatically._

I clutched my cards with a gulp. If that web was just thrown out at random, any loss of life points could mean the end! I had to defeat Weevil's Insect-5 monster and win this duel as fast as possible.

"My turn," I said coldly. My eyes fell on Shield and Sword, a card I had drawn a couple turns ago. Weevil's Insect had impressive attack power, but its defense was a weak 900 points. Malik broke in, _But once you switch the defense points to attack points, the same 500 point deduction will be applied to your monster._ I brushed his warning away. All I needed was a monster with at least 1500 defense points.

I had to twist my arms in order to reach my deck, but I managed to draw my next card. It was Neo the Magic Swordsman, and my heart fell. He may have 1700 attack points, but he only had 1000 defense points! Shield and Sword wouldn't work now, and I had a feeling that on his next turn Weevil would send his insect to the graveyard and summon an even greater monster.

"I summon Neo the Magic Swordsman in defense mode," I said. Now I only had two cards left in my hand, Shield and Sword being one of them. I was running out of options, but I knew the defense points was the key to defeating that bug! I just had to tweak my plan a little. With a slight grin I said, "Then I place one card face down and end my turn."

"No, Elaine!" Joey shouted, startling me. "You've got to stop Weevil before he summons the next Insect monster. You've got to attack now!"

"Shut up and watch, Wheeler," Seto interrupted, and Joey growled under his breath some words I couldn't make out.

"I never thought I'd be saying _this_," Weevil said, "But you should have taken Wheeler's advice, Murphy! For now I send Ultimate Insect-5 to the graveyard and summon my Ultimate Insect-7!" Weevil threw back his head and laughed harder, "And no matter what you do, you'll never be able to...!"

The Ultimate Insect began to form on the field, but before it completely materialized the monster vanished with a little _poot_.

Weevil's mouth fell open, "WHAT?"

I laughed, "Your monster activated my trap card, Destructive Punch! When the defense points of a summoned monster are higher than the monster I have on the field I can _punch _it out of the game."

Mokuba grinned, "Elaine destroyed that bug before it even finished materializing on the field! That'll show Weevil!"

Weevil cried, "No! My beautiful bug!" He glared at me furiously, eyes flashing, and shouted "You'll pay for that, Murphy... with your life points!"

Weevil angrily finished his turn by placing one card face down. I smirked, he didn't have one monster on the field to protect his life points. This was the perfect opportunity to tear him apart!

I drew my next card, and said, "I play Graceful Charity." I drew three cards from my deck, looked over my new hand carefully, and discarded two. If I hadn't traded for that card earlier, I'd be stuck with nothing but magic cards.

"I sacrifice Neo the Magic Swordsman to summon Gyakutenno Megami," I said. My 1800 attack point Fairy appeared on the field. "Then I end my turn." As Weevil had pointed out earlier, I'd have to wait before I could attack.

_And by then Weevil will have a monster on the field,_ Malik sighed. _You should have attacked with Neo, Murphy._

"Weevil has four cards face down, Malik," I whispered. "Any attack would probably be reflected back onto me."

"Oh Murphy, you're making such a nice come back," Weevil drew a card and sighed, "It almost saddens me to end it... But I've just drawn the card that will finish you!"

Weevil slapped the card on his duel disk, "I play Petit Moth, and activate Cocoon of Evolution!" Weevil flipped up one of his face down cards, and the tiny insect was encased in a pulsing purple cocoon.

"That's right, Murphy!" Weevil's voice was tingling with excitement. "Prepare to meet my signature monster! In just a few turns you will be facing the Great Moth!"

_You should have attacked when you had the chance_, Malik scolded. But I didn't answer his thoughts. I just threw back my head and laughed.

From the sidelines Tristan shook his head, "Dueling Weevil has finally gotten to her. She's lost it, guys."

"Hey!" Weevil narrowed his eyes and glared at me. "What are you so happy about? Stop that snickering!"

In my hand was still Shield and Sword. I grinned, _This couldn't have worked out more perfectly if I had planned it myself! True, Gyakutenno Megami can't get through 2000 defense points, but once I play Shield and Sword that cocoon's defense points will become zero._

"I play Shield and Sword," I declared, and I watched the blood drain from Weevil's face. "And now attack, Gyakutenno Megami, with Light of the Four Winds!"

"Alright Elaine!" Joey pumped the air, "Great move!"

I grinned, "Looks like you haven't stopped my comeback yet, Weevil."

"Not so fast," Weevil snapped, "Swords of Revealing Light!" Waving his hand, another of his face down cards activated. My fairy's attack dissipated as glowing swords rained down on my side of the field, trapping both me and my monster.

Weevil pushed his glasses up higher on his nose, "Nice try – but these are the _finales_. You'll have to do better than that to touch me."

I growled and held my cards tighter. From the side of the field Yami sighed, "This is the exact same strategy Weevil used on me at Duelist Kingdom."

Joey shouted, "In four turns that little bug is going to turn into one big problem!"

"I know that!" I snapped angrily. No matter what I did Weevil was always one step ahead. I wasn't expecting this lame duelist to give me such a hard time.

"And while we're waiting, let's do something about those life points, shall we?" Weevil drew his next card. "I play Leghul in attack mode! Now attack!"

Leghul! I had seen this card before – Effects had used it. The bug only had 300 attack points, but it could attack my life points directly.

"Ouch!" I blurted when Leghul's pinchers dug into my leg. For a hologram, that monster had quite a bite.

As my life points dropped to 2800, more spider web shot at me. I tried to dodge it, but I was caught around the legs. When I started to tip over it took all my concentration to steady myself. I growled under my breath, "I will not let Weevil have the satisfaction of watching me fall!"

"My turn," I said, and I looked down at my cards. I still had one trap on the field, but it couldn't do anything against Leghul's direct attacks. Swords of Revealing Light would end during Weevil's next turn, then I'd be able to destroy Leghul with an attack. I frowned, _Well, I can't stop Leghul now, but I can start preparing for that Great Moth._

"I play Spirit of the Harp in defense mode," I said, placing the card on my disk. A kind of sister card to Mystical Elf, this Fairy monster also carried 2000 defense points. "I end my turn."

"Goody!" Weevil squealed, "Now I can summon my army of insects."

What? I brought my head up. Not another problem!

"I summon Gokibore in attack mode," Weevil declared, and a round dung beetle burst to life on the field. "Then I extend my Swords of Revealing Light by two with one of my most favorite magic cards, Expansion Pack! And now I finish with an attack by Leghul!"

Swords of Revealing Lights _extended? _The Great Moth is supposed to emerge during Weevil's next turn, but with Expansion Pack I'd still be stuck in these swords! Weevil would have extra time to prepare his strategy.

Joey shouted, "Elaine, you've got to get rid of that cocoon now!"

I shook my head, there was nothing I could do about the cocoon. I drew my next card, placed one card face down, and summoned another defense monster. Now I had two trap cards and three monsters on the field. Hopefully that would protect some of my life points.

"Big Insect!" Weevil cried as he summoned his next monster. "And then another attack by Leghul!" I grunted as my life points fell to 2200. Malik hissed, _If you don't stop Leghul soon..._ But he was interrupted as more web hit me and almost knocked me over. I was practically half mummified!

Weevil finished with the words, "I end my turn."

I narrowed my eyes, "Where's that stupid Moth of yours, Weevil? The four turns are up!"

"Don't worry, Murphy," the insect duelist laughed. "I have an even bigger surprise in store for you."

I looked at the gang for pointers, but even Joey was baffled. From the other side of the dueling ring Mokuba boasted, "Ha Weevil! You think Elaine cares if your Moth takes a few more turns? For all we care it can stay in there the entire duel."

I smiled at the boy and mouthed, "Thanks."

Weevil likewise gave Mokuba a smile, only his was twisted. Weevil said, "You might want to rethink your words, little Kaiba. For each turn my Moth spends in his cocoon he becomes even more powerful." The duelist turned to me and laughed, "Can you hear it growing?"

"Really?" I scratched my chin. "I thought that was Joey's stomach."

The gang and Mokuba laughed, but Weevil snorted, "Ha ha, very funny! You won't be making jokes after my Great Moth appears."

Yami called, "Good way to keep your head, Elaine! Remember, Weevil's only in control of this duel if you let him be."

Weevil ignored the Pharaoh and said scathingly, "It's your turn, Murphy. Are you just going to stand there?"

I struggled with the web and slowly drew my next card. I needed to deal with Leghul, and so I thought, _Please give me Adverse Side Effects!_

_Are you talking to your deck, Murphy?_ Malik chuckled. I ignored him and looked at the card I drew. It was Red Medicine. _Looks like you need to speak louder next time._

"I pass," I grumbled. I had four cards, but none of them was what I needed now.

Weevil waved his hand, "Leghul, attack!" The insect jumped across the field and took another chunk out of my life points. Now I only had 1900 life points to speak of.

Web shot out, this time getting my face – nose and mouth. I thought with a panic, _If I can't speak I won't be able to declare my moves. I'll be disqualified! _Then my eyes started to budge and a red haze slowly creeped into my vision.

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Téa watched the entire duel with apprehension. It hadn't taken much for that giant Shadow Spider to bring back the memories of Rex's duel. In his case it had been termites. With every life point lost, the termite mound around him grew and grew. Soon the usually cool Rex Raptor was in a panic and could barely play his cards much less build a strategy. Weevil had won in a landslide, but when the termite mound covered over Rex's head and the screaming began even Weevil winced. Though Téa and the gang hadn't seen what had happened inside that mound, it wasn't hard to imagine termites burrowing in and eating Rex's soul.

Elaine was doing much better than Rex, but Téa couldn't stop remembering his screams.

Serenity frowned and touched Téa on the arm, "Is there something wrong with Elaine's face?"

Téa blinked, "It does look... Elaine!" The American had fallen to her knees, her eyes budging. Téa gasped and screamed, "She can't breathe!"

The gang watched as their friend tried to tear the web off her face, but with her arms tied down to her sides she couldn't reach. Joey shouted furiously, "You slimeball! You've gone too far!"

The blonde climbed up into the web separating the duel ring from the rest of the tower, trying to tear his way through. "Help me!" Tristan and Duke jumped forward and tried to help pull the web apart. There was a shriek from above, but before any of the guys could look up they were thrown back and plastered to the side of the tower with blasts of web. The Shadow Spider, if it had teeth, would have been grinning.

Elaine was sinking to the floor, her face red and her eyes wild with fear. Then her eyes changed, going dead.

Yami shouted, "Kaiba! End the duel!" But the eldest Kaiba continued to watch. Mokuba was frozen, and the referee looked frantically from Elaine to Kaiba. Yami shouted again, "Kaiba! NOW!"

There was violent gasping from the ring. Still red in the face, but now on her hands and knees, Elaine sputtered, "No, I'm fine..."

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Malik hissed, _Don't _ever_ make me save your life again! _The Egyptian had possessed my body, right before I had fallen unconscious, and played the card Red Medicine. My life points rose by 500 and the web had vanished from my face. Malik returned control of my body just in time for me to keep Seto from canceling the duel.

"Thank you," I gasped, still having problems breathing. My body was quivering, and my hands tingled. I closed my eyes for a second and just breathed, listening to the gang ask if I was alright. I opened my eyes and gave those watching a weak smile, "Don't worry. I'm just peachy." I waited until my vision cleared, and then got to my feet.

Weevil was pale, but grinned, "I didn't mention this earlier, but if you fall unconscious the Shadow Spider will eat your soul whether you're losing or not."

"Thanks for the info," I coughed and drew my next card. Here was Adverse Side Effects! That would take care of Leghul, but now I needed to concentrate on finding a weak spot in Weevil's insect monsters. If the new and improved Great Moth was as terrible as Weevil hinted, I was going to need all the help I could get! "First, I place one card face down, then I summon Fairy Mite in defense mode."

The moment my turn ended, Weevil's Swords of Revealing Light vanished. My eyes widened, I hadn't been expecting this!

Serenity gasped, "Now Weevil can attack Elaine's life points and her monsters!"

Meanwhile Joey called, "Serenity, Téa, Yugi... we're still stuck on this wall!" The blonde, plastered above the floor, waved his arms and legs helplessly. Tristan and Duke were having even worse luck, Duke especially. His dice earring was stuck in the web.

"First let's attack with Leghul, and then..." Weevil began. Leghul leaped at me, going for another bite. With my free leg I kicked the monster in the head, and it returned squealing to Weevil's side of the field.

"Now that felt good," I smirked as Weevil's life points dropped to 3100. It was still a lot higher than my 2400 life points, but it was a start. Weevil looked at his duel disk, baffled, and so I explained, "You activated my trap, Adverse Side Effects. When Leghul attacked my life points directly, the damage was taken out of _your_ life points."

Weevil sighed, "Oh well, I guess Leghul _was_ getting a little boring. Now I can attack you with my other monsters."

I chuckled once, then looked at my opponent with cool, collected eyes. "Just try it."

Weevil gulped, "What are you..." He laughed and pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Trying to psyche out the competition, Murphy? That won't work on a seasoned duelist. But maybe you would have known that if you had been a bit more experienced, hmm?"

I folded my arms as much as possible, "Are you going to attack, or what?"

"Of course I am!" Weevil glared at me. Then he sneered, "But you do realize that you forgot to switch your Gyakutenno Megami into defense mode several turns ago, right?"

The blood drained from my face, "Wait, what!"

"You amateur," Weevil laughed, "Go my army of insects, destroy her Gyakutenno Megami and finish off her life points!" He waved, "Say goodbye to your soul, Murphy." His insects charged, making the dueling ring shake.

I dramatically threw my hand over my heart, which was as far as I could reach. "Oh no! Whatever shall I do?" Weevil froze at my acting. I brightened up, "Hey, I know! I'll just activate this trap card."

All Weevil's monsters changed course towards my Spirit of the Harp. Their combined attack created a shock wave that sent my hair snapping past my eyes. When the smoke cleared, the only monster standing was mine.

"My bugs! My beautiful bugs!" he cried. I gave Weevil my most teasing smile and cooed, "How's that for experience."

"Smart move," Yami encouraged, and Serenity cheered. Téa, who was struggling to pull Joey off the wall, wasn't watching.

Mokuba gasped, "Wow, one trap destroyed all those monsters?"

"It's only a simple matter of playing the right trap card, Mokuba," Seto said, unimpressed. "I recognize this card, Conquering Hero. It allows the user to focus all attacks onto one defense monster. All monsters with attack points lower than the monster's defense points are instantly destroyed. Strange, I thought it was quite rare..."

"Well, I still think that was pretty cool," Mokuba declared. With a grin he added, "You have to give her points for acting!" He likewise threw his hand to his heart and imitated, "_Nooooo!_ My life points! Why? Why me?"

With my arms still stuck, I couldn't cover my mouth to muffle my laughter. Instead, I bit my lip. Weevil, however, gave Mokuba a very sour glare.

Mokuba wasn't paying attention, his forehead was wrinkled as he thought hard. Suddenly his eyes brightened up, "Oh yeah, I remember now. That was one of the cards I gave Elaine out of our database."

Seto's eyes budged and he barked in surprise, "_You what? _You gave her cards out of my collection!" Mokuba was grinning, "I knew that trap sounded familiar."

Weevil waited for the laughter and smiles to die down. He was angry now, and his eyes flashed, "You won that round, but the next will bring me the prize and you packing."

"Uh huh," I nodded, pretending not to care and rattling Weevil even more. Weevil shouted furiously, "You may be acting cool now Murphy! But in five seconds you're going to be begging for mercy!"

_This sounds serious_, Malik warned. I straightened and called, "All you have on the field is Leghul, and because Adverse Side Effects is a continuos trap card he's useless to you. I'd think twice before bluffing, Weevil."

"Who said anything about bluffing?" Weevil snarled, "I suggest you pay more attention to the field, oh experienced one!"

Yami shouted, "Elaine! The cocoon!"

Instead of the same purple color, the cocoon had white fleshy strips and was oozing onto the floor. Most of the change occurred in the last few turns, and it had nearly tripled in size. Now the cocoon was shaking and cracks formed in the walls. As the walls expanded, I thought I could make out something wiggling inside.

"Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, erupt from your cocoon and reveal your supreme power!" Weevil shouted, his voice booming across the field. The cocoon split, sending dust and ooze into the air. I coughed and my eyes watered. When I finally saw the monster in front of me I gritted my teeth. It hovered behind Weevil, dwarfing its master as it stood over two stories high. The power of the monster was oppressive, I could feel every one of its 3500 attack points aimed at me. The Moth reared, and an ear splitting wail pierced the air. The gang cried out, and even the web from the Spider shook.

"Ah!" I instinctively brought my hands up to cover my ears, but couldn't reach. "What is that!"

Weevil leaned his head back and listened with ecstasy, "I just love what Kaiba's new holo-technology does to bring my insects to life... That's the war cry of the Great Moth, Murphy, but _you_ can call it your funeral song!"

I glared at him, "Not if I can help it, Weevil!"

"But that's just it - you can't help it!" Weevil laughed. "Behold your final destruction! Ha ha ha!"

_You _do_ have a plan._ Malik said, it was not a question. _Afterall, you've known for over half the duel he'd be playing this beast... Murphy?_

"Well... Kind of..." I stuttered, and the Moth let out another wail that droned me out.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of bugs," Weevil taunted. I searched for a comeback, but my mind was blank. Weevil threw his arm out, pointing it straight at Gyakutenno Megami. "Now, my flying friend, attack!"

My monster only had 1800 attack points. In one attack I'd lose 1700 life points! When Malik spoke, his voice shook in a way that made the rest of my confidence vanish, _If you're going to beg the Heart of the Cards to save you... I'd start begging now._

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Malik actually admitted to using the Heart of the Cards! Man, you know Elaine's in a bad situation now... 

"Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, erupt from your cocoon and reveal your supreme power!"  
Can't you just see a T-shirt with that written on it? (With dork written in-between, of course.)

Being the bad updater/author I am, I know that I don't deserve your wonderful reviews! But if you did review, it would make my face go like this › :D or this › :)

Note: Kamilah won the name contest!


	42. Chapter 40

If you've read my profile, you know why I haven't updated in so long.  
**MY ACCOUNT WOULDN'T LET ME UPLOAD ANYMORE DOCUMENTS!**  
No idea why, just (_very_) happy it's fixed.

_Gulps_ Hey, hey! Wh-why are you guys looking at me like that? I swear it's the truth – axes aren't necessary! Er... you know, I know this great eye doctor that can fix red evil gleams... please don't hurt me... ah!

* * *

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 40: Welcome to the Wonderful World of Insects (Part II)

"Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth!" Weevil cried, "Show her Gyakutenno Megami what you've got with your Hurricane Attack!" The giant insect threw back its wings, then snapped them forward to create a wall of wind that blasted across the field.

"Waboku!" I shouted just as the attack reached my monsters. Mystical beings appeared, protecting my three fairies from the attack. That had been too close...

The insect duelist was grinding his teeth in annoyance and I couldn't help but feel bitter. He was the one with a pumped up monster and 3100 life points! I only had defense monsters, and I was also running out of ideas.

Fortunately it was now my turn. As Malik suggested I thought with all my might, _Heart of Cards, do your stuff!_ I drew my card, and slowly opened my eyes to see what it was.

"Wait, Murphy!" Weevil shouted. I frowned, what was that little creep up to now? My opponent continued, "You've activated my trap card, Hand of Fate!"

"What are you talking about?" I demanded, "I haven't even played any cards yet!"

From the side of the field, Seto laughed, "That card's suicide."

Weevil shook his head, "I wouldn't be so sure, Kaiba." He looked at me, "Hand of Fate is a risky trap card, a Chance Card. I borrowed the idea from Wheeler. If I can guess correctly what type of card you've drawn, monster, trap or magic, then you lose the ability to draw any more cards from your deck."

The blood drained from my face. Unable to draw any cards at all?!

Weevil continued, "At a cost of 1500 life points, of course. But I think it's worth the risk, wouldn't you agree?"

Mokuba gasped, "That's more powerful than Seto's crush card!"

Weevil smirked at the little boy, "Yes, it's very _rare._" My eyes grew wide as Weevil gave me a knowing glance. He had gotten that card from the Rare Hunters! From Malik!

_Don't point fingers at me._

"Fine then," I called across the field, "What's your answer?" My eyes moved to my card, a four star fairy monster called The Giver.

Weevil measured me up, adjusting his glasses, and declared, "Trap."

_Be careful what you say next..._

If Weevil was using Joey's chance strategy, he must have been paying extra attention to their last duel. Joey would always psych out his opponents by trying to confuse them. If I pretended to psych out Weevil he'd think I was trying to get him to change his answer - reverse psychology! He'd think I was holding a trap card for sure!

"Are you sure, Weevil?" I asked mockingly. "So much riding on one guess, is that really your finally answer?"

The bug-lover laughed loudly, "Ha! You're just trying to psych me out!... Er... right?" Weevil gulped, panicking, and I watched my strategy fly out the window.

"I change my answer," Weevil said quickly. He looked at his hand, then at me. "Monster - I change to monster! Final answer."

_Great job, Murphy. I see a budding future for you as a psychologist._

Joey grinned, "What a freak, Weevil will fall for anything. Way to psych the competition, Elaine!" The guys gave me thumbs up, and I laughed awkwardly Oh great...

The referee turned to me, "Well...?"

"Heh-heh." I winced and turned the card around for all to see. Monster card - Weevil threw back his head and roared with laughter. Instantly my dueling disk began to vibrate, and large restraining claws closed around my deck.

"That's why it's called the Hand of Fate, Murphy," Weevil grinned. "The hand you have now decides the entire duel."

Suddenly webbing began to wrap around Weevil, starting at his legs and working it's way up until he was almost completely covered. His life points had dropped to 1600, the penalty for using the card.

"Why now?" I shouted, frustrated and trapped. Weevil had his most powerful monster on the field, why risk 1500 life points to stop me from drawing new cards?

The insect duelist explained, "You have three monsters on the field, enough to summon an Egyptian God Card... if you had one. You might pretend you're weak with only defense monsters, but I'm no fool! I'm Regional Champion! Now that you can't draw new cards from your deck, you'll never be able to challenge my Great Moth!"

I looked down at my hand. If the Heart of the Cards was truly with me, my fate wasn't sealed yet.

"I summon The Giver in defense mode," I said, lying my new card down on the field "Then I end my turn." _Not even _I_ can help you out of this one!_

Weevil was grinning, "I draw a card and pass." He was giggling. "Thought I'd give you the chance to adjust to your fate before it comes true."

"Elaine, get out of there!" Tristin shouted. Serenity, looking up at the Shadow Spider, cried, "End the duel now!"

"OMG," Téa was trembling, "She's going to be sent to the Shadow Realm... just like Rex."

Mokuba looked from the wide-eyed gang to me, "No way, she can't lose." He shouted at me, "Don't listen to them, Elaine!"

Seto shook his head, "It's no use Mokuba. Even the poorest duelists can become all-powerful with the right cards."

The company CEO didn't know it, but what he said lifted my spirits and made me feel stronger. The right cards... I had spent the entire tournament gathering the right cards, and with the Heart of the Cards on my side they would never fail me.

"You guys," I said softly, "You have to trust me." Yugi had turned into the Pharaoh. Yami looked over my face, watching my eyes.

Joey was beside himself, "Are you crazy?! Stop the duel or you'll... YOU'RE GOING TO END UP IN THE SHADOW REALM!"

The blonde would have continued, but Yami put his hand out to stop him. "Elaine asked us to trust her."

I smiled at them reassuringly, then turned to Weevil. "You shouldn't have passed. I send Gyakutenno Megami to the graveyard to activate The Giver's special ability! By sending one of my monsters to the graveyard, I can take a magic card from either our decks or graveyards and activate it immediately."

Weevil folded his arms, leaning back confidently. "Fairy threats don't scare me. You're only hurting yourself by destroying your monsters."

"I would never _destroy_ my monsters," I retorted, "But I'd never hesitate to use them in a strategy..." Weevil stood up straighter. "I activate your Insect Barrier! Consider yourself de-bugged, Weevil!"

Weevil stood silent as the news hit him. Mokuba cried, "All right!" while Serenity sighed with relief. Even Duke had something to say, "Slick move, Elaine!"

The cheers were grating to Weevil's ears, "Insect Barrier may keep my insects from attacking directly, but there's more than one way to attack an opponent. You may have stopped my Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth for now, but you haven't won. I have plenty of tricks up my sleeves." The gang had quieted down, listening to Weevil's little speech. Once he was sure he had everyone's attention Weevil laughed and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I hope you've packed your bags, Murphy, because you have a one way ticket to the Shadow Realm!"

_He's certainly playing the crowd._

"Let him," I said, a little louder than necessary. The referee gave me a bewildered glance.

"Now it's time for my insects to cut your life points down to size! Haha!" Weevil squealed. He drew his next card and bit his lip. "I summon another insect monster to the field. Once I get through that barrier, Murphy, my insects and my Great Moth will rip you to threads!"

When my next turn began, I instinctively tried to draw a new card. My fingers rammed into the restraining bars and I winced. Looking at my cards I tried to think of what to do next. I had three monsters on the field, but no way to power them up or use them to summon a more powerful monster. I was down to three cards in my hand and they were simple magic cards. The only upside were the two trap cards I had played earlier in the duel. With any luck, they could protect my monsters from any new strategies bug-eyes came up with.

There was a soft hiss above my head, and wet, sticky, web dribbled onto my neck; it was warm. I looked up and gulped, the Shadow Spider was standing over me. Did it sense I was about to lose?

"The lovely Night Spider doesn't like to be kept waiting," Weevil called with a laugh. Joey shouted, "Ignore that meal-worm! You can come back from this."

With a snort, Seto folded his arms. "You're all delusional."

I looked at The Giver, the only monster I could use to attack Weevil. But what kind of magic card could take out Weevil's monsters? I tried thinking of all the magic cards I had used previously.

_You're thinking too hard._ Malik said, _Want a hint?_

"I've got it!" I exclaimed. A magic card I had almost traded away. "I use The Giver's special ability and send my second monster to the graveyard to play Burning Land!" It might not affect Weevil's monsters, but it sure packed a punch.

The gang exchanged confused looks. Yami explained, "Burning Land inflicts 1000 points of direct damage to your opponent."

"And because Elaine's monster can take cards from both her deck and graveyard," Téa gasped. Joey pumped a fist, "She can use it over and over again. You're toast Weevil!"

Toast was an understatement. Soon Weevil was encompassed in a wall of flames and his life points dropped to 600. Another attack with Burning Land and Weevil would lose the duel! This was perfect!

Webbing wrapped around Weevil's body as his life points fell and the Spider started towards my opponent. He was livid, "You think you can win using a special ability? One magic card!? Face it, Murphy. Once my next turn is over you'll be spider lunch."

"I think someone needs to clean his glasses," I said, placing a hand on my hip. "You're down to 600 life points and Burning Land will take those down to zero. Surrender Weevil or your soul will be lost to the shadows."

Weevil bit his lips, his eyes went wildly from his cards to Marik watching the duel. "No, I'll never surrender to an American nobody!"

"Then take your turn," I commanded. Weevil drew his next card slowly, then shut his eyes, "No! I'm Regional Champion, I have the Great Moth. I can't lose!" He opened his eyes and shouted, "Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, attack!"

Insect Barrier activated and formed a fence of golden wires. The Moth slammed into the barrier, but to no avail. No insect, no matter how powerful, could get past my trap card. Weevil's turn was over and there were no cards that could save him. I called, "This is your last chance, surrender."

I waited, but Weevil didn't answer. He only clenched his teeth, and balled his hands into fists. I hesitated, was I really going to do it? Send him to the Shadow Realm?

My hands started to tremble - I can't be like Marik! But I didn't want to lose, either. Why wouldn't he just surrender!?

"I knew it." A high pitched giggle came from Weevil's downcast face. "You can't do it, can you?" Weevil looked up at me. "It's you who should be surrendering, Murphy. These are the finals and if you can't give the death blow then get out of the tournament!"

_Murphy, don't just stand there! Do it!_

I couldn't move. Weevil smiled, he knew I didn't want to send him to the Shadow Realm. He had lost the battle, but he had won the duel.

"No, no!" Joey shouted. Mokuba cried, "You're so close! What are you doing?!"

Weevil looked at them, amused, then he turned to me, "It's time to accept that Duel Monsters is a _men's_ game, my dear, and..."

**I  
WAS  
FURIOUS**

I was shaking with such rage my cards fell out of my hand. "What did you say to me?!"

From the sidelines Serenity gasped and cried angrily, "How dare you!"

Weevil was surprised, "I thought Americans valued honesty."

"_TAKE THIS, YOU WORM!_" I shouted and I flung my arm out. "_BURNING LAND!_" In a flash my third monster was in the graveyard and The Giver's special ability activated one last time.

"Wh-what?!" Weevil squeaked in terror. His life points dropped to zero and then the insect duelist squeezed his eyes shut. Not even the Pharaoh had time to protest against Marik's shadow magic. The spider shot out web, finishing Weevil's cocoon in a single sticky thread, then she picked up her prey and moved into the shadows. I froze and gulped for air. I sent a soul to the Shadow Realm. "I-I did it?"

Guilt washed over me, then anger. "Marik... you disgusting...!"

Marik smirked, taking the insult in stride. He threw his cloak over his shoulder and left the dueling arena. His silence said enough.

A loud _FLOP_ caught my attention. Weevil's body had emerged from the shadows, hitting the deck like a rubber worm. Pale with blank eyes, he was no longer in his cocoon. Then the shadows receded into the night, and the spider crawled back into its hole in the sky. Its hiss of satisfaction echoed loudly. The gang shuttered, and even Seto stood silently.

I interrupted the silence with a scream. Without warning sparks shot out of the surrounding holoprojectors like fireworks. My dueling disk exploded, flames flew from the center singeing my shirt and arm hairs

"Ah!" Smoke started to creep from my deck slot. My cards were burning! I ripped my deck out of the restraining arms and flung the disk off my arm. Clutching my deck, I started wide-eyed, "What-?"

The referee, jumping over the railing into the ring, barked, "Surge in the system, leave the arena now!" He ran over to the motionless Weevil and threw the bug-lover over over his shoulder. We ran down the stairs, and I saw Seto speaking into the collar of his jacket, mad as a wet cat.

"You okay?" The gang met me at the bottom of the stairs. I nodded, "Yeah - oh! Weevil's deck!"

The referee was having difficulty getting the burnt dueling disk off Weevil's limp arm. "No, get his deck out!" I shouted, running towards him. By the time I arrived the referee had gotten the disk off and had pulled out Weevil's ruined deck. Completely destroyed.

"The main computer overloaded. Send the duelists to the blimp," Seto ordered, growling. The referee nodded and headed over to my friends on the opposite side of the ring.

"Seto," I said as he turned to leave, "Our duel disks..."

"You'll be provided with a new one." _Hopefully that one won't randomly burst into flames._

Mokuba was leaving with his brother, "I have to help the repairs." He grinned. "Those moves with The Giver were awesome. Didn't I say you wouldn't lose?"

"What can I say? I'm unbeatable," I likewise grinned. Mokuba's smile faded, "But Weevil will be okay, right?"

I bit my lip and didn't answer. Mokuba watched me as Seto took him to the mouth of the stairs. As he disappeared from view, I tried to get his sad eyes out of my mind. Weevil had had plenty of chances to surrender! He was the one in league with Marik - it was his own fault he got sent to the Shadow Realm. Right?

"You kept your calm and dueled admirably," the Pharaoh said, coming up to me. The gang was behind him, beaming. I glowed with pride, then faltered. "Yami, I sent Weevil to the... you know."

"It was his choice," Yami said, and I started to sigh with relief. Then the Pharaoh continued, "And your's as well."

"But-" I protested. Yami held up his hand, "The blame lies on all three of you, including Marik."

The Pharaoh was right, and I sighed heavily. Suddenly all the tension and excitement of the duel caught up with me. I was exhausted. Joey grabbed my shoulder and shook me a little bit, "Don't get too down. The Shadow Realm's terrible, but I'd rather have Weevil there than you."

Joey, still hanging on to me, also managed to grab Tristin and Duke with one hand, "Come on, people! Now that we have some extra time, we can check on Mai." He dragged us toward the stairs. I dizzily tried to keep up. At that instant, Malik spoke, _Sit down or your faint._

"No argument there," I said softly, and then pulled away from Joey. "That duel took a lot out of me. I think I'll wait a few minutes before tackling the stairs."

"Meet you at the jet, then," Joey said, and he eagerly took off down the stairs. I couldn't help but smile, Mai was a lucky girl. Just as Joey's head disappeared out of view, Tristin growled, "Let go of me, you-! Wha-WHAA!" The rumbling of bodies falling down the stairs followed, accompanied by Duke's and Joey's wails.

"Joey!" Serenity cried, running down the stairs after her brother. The rest of the gang followed, except for Yami who lingered. "If it's any consolation, Elaine, I would have done the same thing." Then the Pharaoh followed his friends.

"Smart guy, the Pharaoh," I said, smiling. Malik spat, _Gag me with a spoon._

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"These computer systems are so compact," Noah complained. "How can Seto find anything?"

Gozaburo was becoming annoyed. "That's the only thing keeping you from being detected."

Noah, looked at his father with a frown. Every few minutes he had been disappearing. No matter where Noah looked, he had never been able to find his father in the system. "Where have you been, father?"

"That's not for you to know. Just know that this was _my_ island once," Gozaburo said, proudly. His adopted son had once again underestimated him.

"But Seto destroyed everything..."

"Noah, you disappoint me!" Gozaburo shouted. He shook his head and checked his anger. "You cannot destroy what you cannot find. I've already put the plan into motion. Our revenge will be complete in a matter of hours."

The boy did want to anger his father further, but asked, "What if...?"

"Your lack of confidence is unworthy of a Kaiba," Gozaburo snapped.

"I'm sorry," Noah said quickly. Now he was becoming annoyed as well. Wasn't it he, Noah, the one who had lured Seto into their trap the first time? Wasn't it he the one who had survived in the cyberspace world for years on end?

"A kidnapping," Gozaburo went on, oblivious to his son's expression, "Then Seto will be forced to act. Personally, I'm hoping of getting that redhead twerp. Apparently I didn't kill her last time..."

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
My spell check thinks "Gozaburo" should be "Kookaburra". Just thought that was an interesting fact! Looks like Mr. Kookaburra, or should I say Crook-aburra (HAHAHAhaha ha ha... man, that was bad...), has something up his virtual sleeve. What could possibly happen next that could be exciting than that last duel?!?

Finally Silwyth updates!  
I have a few chapters ready and the whole story finished in my head. (And I must admit, it's pretty spectacular.) The problem is I don't have the time or the motivation to put it down. In other words, the story will continue, dear readers, but expect updates to be few and far between.  
Unless you hunt me down and hold pointy weapons to my head... Yeah. I think pointy weapons would motivate me. Especially if you had an army of ninjas... and wizards...

NINJA WIZARDS! Oh yeah! That would be freakin' AWESOME!!  
Wait... what was I talking about? Anyway...

Please review! You could just say "Hi!" and it'd make me happy! Remember, anonymous reviews are accepted:)  
?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?


	43. Chapter 41

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 41: The Americans are on _the Jazz!_

Even though I was surrounded by burnt out holoprojectors and sparking cables, I enjoyed the fresh air on the tower. With the duelists and the friends gone, the quiet was a nice change and I would have stayed longer if a repair team hadn't shown up. Their techno jabber and humming equipment destroyed the silence like a swarm of bees. The similarity to Weevil's insects was almost enough to make me nauseous.

When I boarded the jet, I found the entire gang sitting at a table in the hall where our numbers had been drawn. By the looks of the food in front of them, Tristin and Duke must have raided the kitchen. Popcorn, candy bars, soda cans and every kind of dessert imaginable was spread out and opened. Half of the popcorn had already made it to the floor as well as a few candy wrappers.

"Hey Elaine!" Téa called when she saw me, Yugi and the others waved. I walked over and slid into the empty chair next to Joey. The blonde explained, "We were just talking about the finals."

"We haven't even finished the _semi-finals_," I pointed out. Joey shrugged and opened a can of soda. "It's obvious when you think about it. You've already beaten Weevil, I'll beat Marik, Yugi will beat Kaiba, and then..."

"Joey will get pummeled by either Elaine or Yugi," Duke concluded. Tristin leaned over me and slapped the blonde's back, "Tough luck, pal."

Everyone laughed as Joey sprung to his feet, "WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU GUYS ON?!?"

Serenity pulled her brother back down, "Calm down, Joey. What if both you and Yugi lose?" Téa glared at the girl and muttered, "Yugi never loses."

"Well," Duke flipped his hair. "Then Elaine will get pummeled by either Marik or Kaiba."

I snorted, "You wish." I turned to Joey, "It doesn't matter so much for Yugi, but you _have_ to win."

"The Shadow Realm doesn't scare me," Joey scowled. "And neither does Marik." The gang went quiet. Serenity was wringing her hands; her face had gone white.

"So what's your strategy?" I asked matter-of-factly, trying to break the mood. Yugi nodded, almost to himself. "A tight strategy can bring victory in even the most daunting situations. Joey, I would suggest..."

"I already have a plan, Yug." Joey leaned back in his chair. "Make Marik pay." His soda can crumpled as his fist closed around it. I sighed. If all he thought about was revenge... how could Joey possibly hope to win?

_  
Simple, Murphy. He won't win. He's an overconfident fool... but perhaps he may wear down some of Marik's magical powers. That could be to our advantage._

"Oh, don't say that!" I hissed under my breath. The gang was so busy trying to give Joey advice they didn't notice my side conversation.

Joey opened a new can of soda. "Just think, once my duel is over Marik will get to see the Shadow Realm first hand..."

I wanted to plug my ears. Knowing that Joey was walking blindly to his doom was making me sick. I wasn't the only one, Téa had gone pale and moaned, "Can't we talk about something else?"

Duke stood up, "I'm going to check out the progress on the tower. Anyone with me?"

Relieved to be on a new subject, Téa piped up, "Let's head to the control room, Kaiba will probably be there."

Joey scowled, "Kaiba! And you thought talking about _Marik_ was bad?"

Yugi led the way and when the doors to the control room slid open I immediately saw Seto. His back was to us, but it was plain that he was upset. His teeth were clenched and bared, like a caged animal. The employees were silent in their work, nervous. The air was jumpy.

"We've lost contact with the repair team at the tower,"said Seto before anyone could speak. My eyebrows shot up. I had left the repair team only ten minutes ago! Everything had been fine... But what if they had run into Marik? I shivered at the thought. Marik could have easily gone back up to the tower for some fun. He was certainly in a happy, psychotic mood after Weevil lost the duel...

"Um... why don't you just go up there and check on them?" Téa asked. Seto growled, "Don't you think we've tried that?! The entire tower's gone into a lock down. It's impossible for anyone to get inside." His hands were clenched

"Who's up there?" I demanded. Seto refused to look at me.

"Three technicians," one of the employees said softly. "And Mr. Kaiba."

"Dude..." Joey said. "Kaiba's right there."

I held my mouth with my hand. "Mokuba?!" I gasped. Seto's face was grim and he nodded.

"How?" I turned on the other employees. Mokuba hadn't been there when I left! What was he doing up there in the first place? I mentally slapped myself for not staying longer.

One employees glanced at the boss, then said, "We had another serge in the system. It interrupted everything..."

"It came from under the tower," one of the men added. The first employee continued, "When the surge ended the tower sealed itself off and all radio contact was severed. That was over five minutes ago."

A deep voice sighed over the intercom. "And in that time you've done less than nothing." Every computer monitor blacked out and a large face appeared on all the screens. "Time is money. Didn't you learn anything from me, Seto?"

"Who's the guy with the mustache?" Joey asked, completely bewildered. Even Yami was confused, here was a new guy. Seto's mouth curved into a smirk. He said, "He's a nobody."

"A nobody?" Gozaburo Kaiba repeated. "Not for long, dear Seto. I have your brother, you wouldn't want to leave him alone would you?"

Seto's eyes flashed and I was outraged. "Mokuba's only a kid. Let him go!"

"Ah, there you are," Gozaburo smiled at me. "Next time you won't be so lucky, little girl." I stepped back and the deposed CEO laughed. The laugh came from every one of the screens where Gozaburo's face had appeared, creating an eerie echo that roared in my ears. It was like being surrounded by a thousand bats flapping and screaming at once. Then Gozaburo's eyes moved to rest on his step-son. "Come up to the tower, Seto. We need to have one of those father-son talks." The screens began to fade. "Come alone or not at all." Gozaburo's face was gone, replaced by blackness.

"That was..." Téa gasped. Seto growled, "My step-father."

"Can't you turn him off? I mean, he _is_ a computer program," I said. Seto turned to leave. "He's drawing power from under the tower, there's no way to deactivate him." The gang parted to let him through the doorway, but I quickly grabbed his arm. "You can't be serious! You're not going up there alone!"

"He wants to duel me," Seto said. "So I'll give him a duel he'll never forget." I let go as he moved on.

"Just in case any of you freaks have misguided ideas about helping me," Seto turned in the doorway to glare at us. "Stay out of my business."

The employees quickly went back to work and the rest of us looked at each other. "Now what?"

"We have to find that power source under the tower and shut it off," I said, staring up at the duel tower through the window. The friends looked at me as if I had sprouted green hair. I could feel Yami's eyes on the back of my head. Téa said, "Didn't you hear what Kaiba-"

"This is about Mokuba," I said sharply.

Joey nodded twice, "Then let's do it."

"So... what are we going to do?" Téa asked. "I don't know about you guys, but I don't know the first thing about breaking and entering!"

I grinned. "Yeah, but I know the guy who does."

---------------------------------------------

Keith Howard had passed out on his couch after three cans of Coke and watching a bad movie. Since Kaiba had banished him from the tower, what else was he supposed to do? The American rolled over onto his side, scratched his nose, and woke up to loud knocking.

"Eh?" Keith sat up. "Perfect... just when I was getting comfortable!" He stood up, smoothed his hair back, put on his sunglasses, and picked up his leather vest which he had thrown on the floor previously. "Yeah, yeah. I'm coming."

The bandit opened the door.

Two large men were standing there. "Mr. Howard, we require your assistance on the command deck."

Keith bristled. First Kaiba banished him from the duels, and now that sissy CEO was having his goons push him around?! The men were waiting and Keith snapped, "Well, you can tell your..."

Before he could finish, the men grabbed him under the arms and lifted him off the floor. "Your assistance is not voluntary."

"LET GO OF ME, DAMMIT!" Keith shouted. But the men weren't listening and no matter how much Keith struggled nothing happened.

---------------------------------------------

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF-!"

I jumped as the control room's door opened. Two men flew into the room, landing at my feet with groans. Those were the employees I had sent to find Keith!

Immediately, a third man walked in. "So who wanted my assistance!?" Keith's eyes were flashing as he looked around the room. "Where is that Kaiba scum? I'm gonna-"

"Uh, Keith?" I interrupted. The American glared at me, "Yeah?"

"Gozaburo's back." The American froze, anger completely forgotten. "You mean, that guy...?"

I nodded, "The one from the underwater base. He's back."

Bandit Keith grinned and his eyes gleamed. "Nice."

"Nice!" Téa cried, "This is terrible!"

"Oh, shut your pie hole," Keith snapped. He turned to me. "Let me guess, Kaiba's done something stupid?"

I sighed. "Gozaburo took Mokuba..." Keith looked at me as soon as I said the name. He might be a self-centered jerk, but even he knew how much I cared for the younger Kaiba. "The tower's in lock down, none of us have any idea how to-"

"Hump!" The American folded his arms. "And you think I know how to break into a tower? What do you think I am, a criminal?"

I, too, folded my arms. "Well?" I demanded. Keith eyed me and finally asked, "Do you have the blue prints?"

An employee stepped forward. "These are the blueprints of the original facility. According to our readings the energy source is coming from here." He pointed to an empty space on the paper. "But_nothing_ is there!"

Keith shrugged, "Ol' Kaiba must have kept it off record then."

"That's not possible," the employee stated, then he shook his head. "Anyway, the old ventilation system may connect to the current structure. We can enter the tower through an exterior exhaust vent. The only question left is whose going."

The employee looked at the gang. Keith leaned over to whisper, "I can see why you asked for me." I nodded.

"I'm definitely going," Joey grinned. "I can't wait to see the look on moneybag's face when he realized _I_ saved him, heh-heh."

The employee blinked. "I meant which one of the girls. You're far too big to enter a vent. The shaft would never hold you weight."

"I'm the smallest one here," Yugi stepped forward. Téa protested, "Yugi, why do you always help Kaiba? He'd never do the same for you!"

Keith chuckled. "They seriously think that's going to work?"

I shook my head. "What can I say? They're Japanese."

The gang and employees looked at us incredulously. The American took off his sunglasses to look at them. "First of all, you people are crazy. That tower has the most advanced security known to man."

"I know that!" One of the men snapped. "We work here, remember?"

"Then look here!" Keith demanded. He pointed to the newer blueprints. "It's hard to see, but the security system monitors all external openings. _Including_ the vents. The moment anyone tried to open one of those, Gozaburo would be alerted. Who knows what he would do then."

The gang crowded around the table where the blueprints were laid out. Another employee blinked, "How do you know this?!"

Keith flashed a grin, "Hey. You think I was going to sit outside while the duels were going on? I was planning on breaking in myself after I finished my nap."

The employee's mouth fell open and Keith continued, "But Kaiba wasn't completely paranoid. The system doesn't monitor any of the solid walls."

Joey snorted, "I wonder why."

"No offense," one of the men Keith had thrown on the floor growled. "But it's not like we have a bulldozer on board, Mr. Howard."

"Actually, nothing other than a rocket-launcher could make a dent in those walls," Keith smirked. "But don't worry, we have something better." He turned to me. "Come on, Elaine. We're going to break into that tower."

"_Me?!_" My eyes widened, what could I possibly do?

The American nodded. "Out of all the members on this ship, you're the one who has the best relationship with Marik."

The gang stood listening, not comprehending what Keith had said. I shook my head and laughed. "Whoa, for a moment I thought you said_'Marik'_."

"I did." He spoke calmly. "I saw what Marik's... magic wand-o stick did to the technology on the base. He's the only person who can get in there. And, Elaine, you're the only person I've seen talking to him who's still conscious."

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Joey shouted. The room was suddenly in an uproar._Don't do this. Don't you dare do this, Murphy._ Keith ignored then and looked at me. His face said plainly, "Well, do you want to help Mokuba or not?"

I turned and walked out of the room with Keith right behind me. _You'll kill us both, you fool!_

Joey and the others followed us, protesting with all they're might; even Serenity grabbed my arm. "Elaine," Yugi had transformed into the Pharaoh once again. "You mustn't be this reckless! Marik's powers cannot be used for good - he is evil." But nothing they said or did stopped us. I glanced at Keith. He seemed to take Marik's magic in stride. _And why shouldn't he? Bandit Keith was once a mind slave, remember?_

"So, what do you have in mind?" I asked once the gang had given up and the Pharaoh watched us walk away sadly.

Keith rubbed his chin. "How much experience do you have with GoodCop/BadCop?"

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
Gozaburo is up to no good, but he can't stand up to our hero when she's _on the jazz!_  
(Bonus points if you can figure out where that saying comes from!)

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?


	44. Bonus Chapter

Okay, my beautiful reviewers! I have good news and bad news!

Bad News: This isn't Chapter 42... go to the next page to see it.

Good News: This is a bonus chapter!!

Bad News: The bonus chapter is mostly based on events that happened :'(  
You'll see why it's sad, for me anyway, when you read it

Good News: There's a short but fairly decent duel in the bonus chapter, so enjoy!

* * *

_**This Isn't Part of the Actual Crossovers Story  
So You Don't Have To Read It **_

* * *

CROSSOVERS

Bonus Chapter 1: Of an Event That Never Really, Didn't Happen  
So Don't Actually Take It Seriously Because  
It's More of a Response To Something

"You've gone too far, old man." The words vanished with the wind, tumbling across the metallic ruin of the island. Seto Kaiba stood before his duel tower. This was where he had torn down his step-father's empire – he was the king now and it was time Gozaburo realized it. Kaiba stepped forward and the doors opened before him.

The CEO was about to step inside when a noise caught his attention. It slowly grew as though coming from a great distance. Kaiba would have ignored it, but it sounded like a person screaming bloody murder.

"AAAAAAH! AAAAaaah!"

Suddenly, through the jagged piles of ruble, Kaiba saw a small running figure. In shock, Kaiba ran towards the figure, leaping on top of a huge chunk of metal. From his perch, the CEO realized with horror that the person was on fire.

But the shock couldn't compare to the jolt in his stomach. Kaiba knew instantly that the flaming phantom was his little brother. "MOKUBA!" Kaiba cried, running towards the wailing figure. He ripped off his over coat and tackled his creaming and burning brother to the ground. In almost a state of panic, Kaiba beat the flames until not so much as a spark remained. The person, dazed and beaten, slowly stopped screaming.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba called. "Mokuba! Moku- whaa?"

The elf sat up slowly, coughed twice, then sputtered, "I-I was on fire!"

Kaiba froze, his arms stretched forwards in a position to embrace his brother. The person lying in front of him, still smoldering was definitely not Mokuba. None of the duelists, none of his employees, not even _Yugi_ looked so bizarre.

The creature before him had vibrant golden eyes and prominently pointed ears. Unlike the typical elf, this one was bald. Through the dirt and scorch marks, Kaiba could make out a purple tattoo that covered the elf's entire scalp in sweeping lines. But the outfit took the cake, it could only be interpreted as a cross between a Sith robe and a Power Ranger suit. In sharp contrast to the clothes, there were pointy bell-tipped leather shoes on the elf's feet, each with a single silver bell.

An elf... it was the only way Kaiba could think to comprehend it.

"I can't believe it!" the elf cried, oblivious to Kaiba's expression. Moving unnaturally fast, the elf grabbed the front of Kaiba's shirt and shouted at him wildly, "**I'VE BEEN FLAMED!**"

Kaiba stood up, breaking the elf's grip. "Who are you? How did you get here?"

The elf's mouth fell open. "You- you can't tell? Surely you should _know_." Kaiba didn't move, but continued to glare down at the creature. "I am Silwyth. I've been flamed and I've come to you specifically for comfort."

"Excuse me?" Kaiba said. Obviously, the person was in some sort of state of shock. Silwyth stood up and said, "You're my most critical character, well you're not my character, but you get the pic-"

"I don't have time for this," Kaiba said. He turned around and started for the tower. The CEO would call security after his brother was safe.

"Dude," Silwyth said, using Kaiba's overcoat to lasso the billionaire "I'm just gonna follow you until you do what I want. Mokuba isn't going anywhere. Besides, I doubt Gozaburo will do anything to him until you show up." Suddenly the elf grinned. "Actually, I _know_..."

Ripping the coat away, Kaiba's eyes flashed. "Explain yourself."

"It's simple," Silwyth said calmly. "I've been flamed... do you know what that means?"

Kaiba ground his teeth. For some reason he had lost his ability to move, as if the strange elf was holding him in place. "You were on fire."

"No!" Silwyth cried frantically. "I received a flame! A deeply personal attack, filled with random cursing, which was not only insulting but it didn't even offer constructive criticism!"

"That's nice, Mr. Elf," Kaiba said harshly. "Can I go now?"

"Please," Silwyth said suddenly. "No gender references."

Kaiba growled, "Are you insane?" How long was this freak going to hold him here? Was this some joke Gozaburo had planned? Kaiba's hands slowly turned into fists. If Mokuba was harmed because Gozaburo became impatient this Silwyth character would pay.

The elf held out an arm. In one hand was a piece of paper and Silwyth explained, "I just want you to read it and tell me if you think it's good or bad."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"A fanfiction," Silwyth replied. Kaiba said calmly, "It's crap."

Silwyth looked at the CEO dully. "You didn't even read it." Kaiba felt an instant release over his entire body. He flexed his arms and was please to find he could move again. Silwyth waited, tapping one foot which caused one of the bells to ring.

"If it's fanfiction, it's crap," Kaiba said evenly. Silwyth folded two long elf arms, "Have you ever read fanfiction?"

Kaiba smirked. "One doesn't have to experience death to know that it's something to avoid." Turning on his heel, Kaiba continued, "Why don't you have Joey Wheeler read it? He can hardly string a sentence together, I'm sure he'd be impressed."

"Oh please!" Silwyth cried. "The Yugi Gang would be supportive of anything! I need someone critical, down to earth, and brutally honest to read this."

Even though his back was turned, Kaiba could have sworn he _heard_ the gleam flash in Silwyth's golden eyes. "What if I challenged you to a duel?"

Seto Kaiba froze in his tracks. Silwyth continued, "If you win I'll merrily prance off and leave you alone for eternity. But if _I_ win, then you have to read my fanfic."

"Do you honestly think you can defeat me?" Kaiba turned to face Silwyth. "You're nothing but a delusion Lord of the Rings cosplayer."

Silwyth snorted and pulled a duel disk and a deck out of no where. Dramatically the elf cried, "_Lle n'vanima ar' lle atara lanneina!_"

"What's that supposed to mean? It's time to duel?" Kaiba likewise activated his duel disk. Silwyth shrugged, "It's elven for 'You're ugly and your mother dresses you funny.' "

"How cute," Kaiba said. "Your move, Silwyth!"

"Okay!" The elf drew a card, looked at it, and made a face. "I'm too lazy to create decent cards of my own... I place one monster face-down in defense mode and two other cards face down."

"Create?" Kaiba blinked. The elf shrugged, "I'm just going to copy a deck I found off the internet, but I hope you don't feel insulted. Generally, I use a database of cards and build from there... but seriously. This duel isn't important to the plot, so why bother?" The elf continued, "Technically, I don't even have the cards. I'm just wiggling my mouse over the list with my eyes closed to _draw_ my next card."

"You stole that deck?" Kaiba hissed. Silwyth rolled two highly expressive elf eyes. "Hellooo!" Silwyth said. "I'm a fanfiction author. Half the stuff I write is a 'copy' so to speak. But as long as I don't sell it and have a disclaimer, it's okay. And I never _steal_... I borrow!"

Kaiba grew his next card, "I summon Hitotsu-Me Giant in attack mode, and place one card face down." If the elf was using a deck some loser put together on the internet, it would undoubtedly be predictable and generic. Silwyth had put two cards face down and the CEO knew a trap when he saw it.

"Your turn, Silwyth," Kaiba said. Silwyth drew a card and laughed with delight. "I play Graceful Charity!" then the elf happily drew three more cards. After eyeing the cards closely, Silwyth discarded two and announced, "I play Ameba face-up on the field in attack mode! Then I finish my move by flip-summoning Stealth Bird!"

Kaiba's eyes widened. Ameba? Stealth Bird? Silwyth was trying to use a burn deck! The CEO clenched his teeth as his life points dropped by 1000 due to the Stealth Bird's special ability. When it was flip summoned successfully, it instantly inflicted 1000 points of damage to its opponent. As for Ameba, as long as it remained on the field face-up Kaiba would lose 2000 life points directly each time it became his turn. In one move, Silwyth had successfully dosed out 3000 points of direct damage!

Slightly impressed, Kaiba had to grin. The elf had completely tricked him into a dangerous situation. For a lowly fanfic author, Silwyth was displaying a much higher knowledge of the game than expected. Kaiba had prepared for a frontal assault, not a life point draining tactic.

"Your turn, Mr. Kaiba," Silwyth said. Instantly, Kaiba's life points dropped to 1000 points. Silwyth on the other hand was sitting on a solid 4000 life points and was grinning like king of the mountain.

Hitotsu-Me Giant had no where near the power to take Silwyth out. As for his face down card, Kaiba had a simple, yet effective, trap. A trap against monster attacks, that was. What Kaiba needed was a way to protect his life points from Silwyth's special effects!

"You've done some nice work, Silwyth. If you had been a member of my tournament, you would probably have made it to the finals," Kaiba said as he drew a card. "But against a true duelist, that copied deck of yours won't stand a chance!"

"I play Dark Hole!" Kaiba cried, throwing the magic card on the field. Silwyth frowned as every monster on the field disappeared. Kaiba smirked, "I finish by placing one more card face down. That should put an end to your plan."

The CEO knew duel monsters inside and out, backwards and upside down. A Burn Deck used magic cards and traps to drain an opponent. of life points. As long as Silwyth didn't have a Burning Land hiding up its elven sleeve, Kaiba was safe.

Silwyth groaned mentally and drew another card. Now the elf had to start all over again! On the field Silwyth had the trap card Just Desserts and another Dark Hole. In the elf's hand was Swords of Revealing Light and the newly added Scapegoats.

"I'll pass," said Silwyth. The elf had nothing worth putting on the field. In fact, now that Kaiba knew the elf's strategy, it was probably safer for cards to be _in_ Silwyth's hand.

Kaiba smirked, his assessment had been correct and Silwyth was incapable of doing anything. He drew a card and said, "This is the difference between a true deck and a copy. I play Wave-Motion Cannon!"

Silwyth glared at the CEO, "What the heck? Since when do _you_ have burn cards?"

"A deck that's originally created will always defeat a..." Kaiba began harshly. Silwyth held up a hand, "Okay! Okay, I get it. Sheesh, if you were using the word 'friendship' instead of 'deck' you could be Téa."

"You'd compare _me_ to that worthless cheerleader?" Kaiba laughed. Silwyth shrugged, "Hey, man, you _are_ lecturing me about right and wrong. That is definitely some sort of Téa syndrome."

Meanwhile, Silwyth's life points had dropped to 1000 points due to Wave-Motion Cannon's effect. The duelists were on equal ground now. The next two turns would be the deciding factor.

With a sigh, Silwyth drew the next card of the duel. Tremendous Fire. In other words, Burning Land with a price. The duel was over!

"I play Tremendous Fire!" Silwyth said forcefully. "It may cost me 500 life points, but you lose 1000 life points! That means I win. Take that, sucker!"

Kaiba snorted. "Didn't anyone teach you not to celebrate early? You've activated my trap, Spliceosome! It cuts the effects of your magic card in half."

Kaiba's life points were cut in half, while Silwyth's fell to 750 points. Stomping a long and lanky elf leg, Silwyth cried, "First I was flamed and now I'm losing to this guy!? This isn't my week... meh."

"This guy?" Kaiba repeated, amused. "Who did you think I was? I am Seto Kaiba, Mr. Silwyth, I never lose."

Silwyth sighed, "Maybe I'm just too smart to win a children's card game... you know? It's like when you play Go Fish-"

Kaiba cut Silwyth off by drawing his next card and shouting, "Using the magic card Ceremony of the Dragon, I special summon the Dragon of Mist from my deck!"

The dragon, white as the clouds of the sky, rose from the ground like a blooming flower... of death. It had 2500 attack points but Silwyth said calmly, "Hellooo! I have a burn deck and you just summoned a monster. All I have to do is play my trap card-"

"I wasn't finished," Kaiba stated smoothly. "I finish my turn by playing Last Turn."

"Last Turn, huh?" Silwyth stroked an invisible beard. "If my memory serves me correct that card means I have to special summon one monster from my graveyard. Then our monsters battle and the duelist whose monster remains on the field wins the duel, am I right?"

"Correct," Kaiba smirked. "There is no way you can defeat my Dragon of the Mist. A generic burn deck such as yours contains only monsters with life point reducing special effects. And those monsters are weak."

Silwyth glared at the CEO with golden eyes, "It's true Ameba and Stealth Bird had low attack points, but I _did_ play Graceful Charity. I have two cards in my graveyard you never saw, Mr. Confident."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "A burn deck is built for speed, it wouldn't have monsters over level four."

"Then what's this?" Silwyth asked. The elf played the Dark Magician.

Seto Kaiba looked at the elf incredulously, "You have a monster card in your deck that would be impossible for you to summon?" The CEO was angry now, he has underestimated the fanfic author again! No _generic_ burn deck would have such a high level card.

"That's not just any monster card. That's the Dark Magician," Silwyth said, as if that explained anything. Kaiba, furious at not seeing such a bizarre turn of events, snapped, "Perhaps you would like to elaborate?"

"Dude," Silwyth stated simply. "I'm a Yu-Gi-Oh Fan. I _always_ have a Dark Magician."

The two monsters on the field attacked. The Dragon of Mist gave its mighty wings one flap which sent a wave a wind toward the magician. The Dark Magician, a staff glowing with darkness, unleashed a volley of magic. Each one had 2500 attack points. The two attacks met in the center of the field and in a flash both monsters were destroyed.

Kaiba clenched his hands into fists. A draw? To such a loser?! Silwyth, on the other hand, thought aloud, "Since neither of our monsters remain on the field, technically we both lose... how depressing."

"It was a draw," Kaiba said, bristling. Silwyth waved the CEO's comment away, "Whatever."

The elf stood up straight, "I guess that means we both have to hold up to our ends of the bargain. I'll prance away merrily and leave you alone and you read my fanfiction."

"Forget it," Kaiba snapped. He turned away from the elf and started to the tower. He had wasted enough time on that farce of a duel. Silwyth shrugged, "Okay. I'll just merrily prance over to that jet of yours and tell everyone you lost to an elf who not only writes _fanfics_ but also wears _bell-tipped shoes_."

For emphasis, Silwyth stuck out a leg and shook a foot. The jingling noise was unmistakable. "I'm sure Joey Wheeler would be happy to hear..."

"Give me the damn fic," Kaiba growled. He marched over to the elf and snatched it silently. His eyes flew down the paper. After a few minutes he looked Silwyth straight in the eye and said, "Crap."

"Could you be a bit more specific?" Silwyth asked. "The writing, the characters, the setting, the plot...?"

Kaiba snorted, "It's a general pile of crap. How specific do you want?"

Silwyth grinned and stuck out a hand, "Thank you, Mr. Kaiba. That's exactly what I wanted to hear." If all fanfiction was crap to Kaiba, then even the best fanfics would be crap. As long as Kaiba didn't say anything about it being crappier that a usual fanfic, it was a good thing.

Kaiba looked at Silwyth's out stretched hand and raised an eyebrow, "I'm not an American, Silwyth. I don't shake hands."

Silwyth shrugged, "Whatever, man. But it's not just Americans who shake hands, okay?"

As per the deal, Silwyth happily pranced off shouting, "_Cormamin niuve tenna' ta elea lle au'!_" As soon as Silwyth disappeared, Kaiba conveniently forgot what had happened and wondered why he felt so irritated. And why was his coat missing...?

-------------------------

Keith and I started for the door ignoring the protests of the friends. Suddenly, Serenity cried, "What _is _that?!"

Everyone turned and gasped. A startling bald person with pointed ears had plastered itself to the front window of the jet. The elf was frantically pointing at us, tapping the glass. Duke said in awe, "Elaine, it's pointing at you!"

I blinked, "Wha-? That-!" When my eye's met the strange golden ones, the elf started waving with both hands and grinning. Somehow it managed to hang on to the window with feet alone. Not knowing what else to do, I pointed at myself. "Me?"

The elf nodded happily, then with two long and slender hands the elf pointed at its chest, made a heart sign, then pointed at me.

I practically fell over, "_What?!_"

The gang and I stared at the elf, who was giving me a thumbs-up sign, and then at each other. With a nervous laugh, Joey said, "Wow, Elaine, is that your boyfriend?"

"NO GENDER REFERENCES!"

Everyone jumped, but when we looked to the window the strange person was gone. One of the Kaiba Corps. employees said, "Let's never talk about or mention this ever again."

I nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
I was flamed for the first time. It's true. I wrote this "chapter" to cheer me up. Fortunately, the flame was from an anonymous reviewer so I was able to delete it.

Next Chapter is on the Next Page!  
?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?


	45. Chapter 42

Warning Captain! Short chapter ahead!

* * *

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 42: The Dangerous Exchange

"Mr. Ishtar? Do you mind if we enter?"

Marik was sitting on the couch in his room. The Egyptian looked at Keith and I with amusement as we opened his door. The Millennium Rod sparkled dangerously at his side.

"I'm sure you're aware of the situation at the tower. In fact, that is the very reason why we're here. You see, we..."

Marik stood up and interrupted, "Really?"

I pushed past Keith, and if it weren't for the coffee table between us, would have thrown myself in Marik's face. I shouted, "WE KNOW YOU GOT MAGIC, SUCKA! AND YOU'RE GONNA BLAST INTO 'DAT DAMN TOWER OR WE'RE GONNA SLAP YOU AROUND LIKE _NOBODY'S_ BUSINESS!" I snapped my fingers, and whipped my head to the side so that my hair smacked Marik across the nose. "SO YOU GONNA COOPERATE, OR ARE YOU GONNA ASK FOR SOME _PAIN!?_"

I poked Marik in the chest so hard he fell backward and sat heavily on the couch. Keith grimaced and I winced inwardly. I was _so_ going to die...

Marik looked at us, especially at me, and raised his eyebrows. I could almost see his mind working. To kill or to be amused?

The Egyptian chuckled, "You two must be desperate if you're going to me. Surely the Pharaoh would not sanction such an act."

"This isn't about the Pharaoh," I said, leaning down to look Marik in the face. "This is about Mokuba."

"How touching," Marik smirked at me. "And why should I care?"

Keith stepped forward. It was obvious he had been thrown for a loop with the 'Pharaoh' talk, but he held his ground. "The duels are being held up by this Gozaburo fellow. They same guy who captured half the crew and the duelists on that underwater base. You want to keep waiting? Maybe watch the entire tournament be canceled?"

Marik watched Keith, his eyes glowing. "The tournament is nothing, and you are fools if you think you can enlist me." Marik bowed his head to leer at us from under his hair. "You want petty magic? Go speak to my sister."

So much for our Good Cop/Bad Cop routine. Keith sighed, pulled off his bandana and rubbed his head, "Listen, Marik..."

"I will listen," Marik said rising to his feet once more. "To your screams."

With a flick of his wrist Keith was in the air. Keith slammed into the wall, cracking his skull. The body slid down the wall, leaving a bloody smear on the metal. "KEITH!" I shouted, but I was cut off mid-word. My throat... the air was being crushed from my body. I clawed at the invisible hands choking me.

Marik was enjoying himself. "Coming without the Pharaoh? Being stupid will get you killed."

I gasped, "Mal- Malik! I can give – give you..."

Suddenly I was on the floor. I coughed and took huge breaths that rack my body. I managed to lift my head to look at the Egyptian and, knowing it would be the only chance for Keith and I to get out alive, said clearly, "I can give you Malik. Your other half."

The Millennium Rod was tense in Marik's hand, then slowly it sunk to his side. Marik leered at me, "You must care about the Kaibas deeply to pull out that bargaining chip." His eyes were glowing and one corner of his mouth was being to curl in a demented grin. "I suppose once I get rid of Gozaburo you'll tell me where Malik is?"

Still gasping for air, I had to wait a few seconds before standing up. "You- you'll do as I say?"

"I'll play your little game," Marik Ishtar dipped his head. "Lead on, my dear."

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
Elaine has enlisted Marik's assistance but at a huge price! What is Malik going to say about this?! Has Ishizu's attempts to keep her brother safe been in vain? Will Gozaburo finally succeed at reclaiming his empire? Will Shaadi trade his turban for a new set of earrings? The suspense is unbearable!!! (For you anyway, hehehe.)

For those of you who remember the details from the actual TV show, Marik can use the Millennium Rod to take information from other people's mind. I originally wrote the scene above with Elaine's plan backfiring and Marik about to attack her again. Of course, the Pharaoh would show up and save the day and blah blah blah... but that made the ending very slow and unexciting so I took it out. I just wanted to add this note so that you all understand that Silwyth is not a complete idiot.

I warned you it was short... but DON'T WORRY! The next chapter will be super long!  
(I was originally thinking of splitting the next part into three sections to make it a bit more organized, but since I'm not updating as frequently...)  
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	46. Chapter 43

The Super Long CROSSOVERS Chapter of Death (S.L.2C.D) has arrived!  
MWA HA HA HA!

Well... er, it would have arrived. But someone's editor (aka younger sibling) thought that my S.L.2C.D was too confusing. So, I have split the S.L.2C.D into two smaller chapters for your reading convenience! Aren't I thoughtful?

When you see this:

* * *

It denotes a switch in character view, or a shift from first person to third person.  
BECAUSE FOR SOME STUPID REASON THE LITTLE DESIGNY THING I MADE UP  
WON'T SAVE SO I HAVE TO SETTLE FOR THIS LINE BREAKY THING  
THAT IS VERY UNCOOL!!  
ARGH!!  
Happy Reading! :D

BTW - There's a dorky poll about CROSSOVERS on my profile! You should check it out! ;)

BTW2 - For some reason my CROSSOVERS summary disappeared!! I blame the garden gnomes.

* * *

CROSSOVERS

Chapter 43: The Tower

Marik waited patiently as I gathered my wits. For a spilt second I turned to Keith. His chest was still moving; he would live. I quickly marched out of the room and through the hallways to the exit. The gang was probably wondering what had happened to Keith and I, but hopefully they wouldn't interrupt the only plan that could save Mokuba! If the Pharaoh saw Marik _willingly_ walking with me, he would know something was wrong and stop us immediately.

Soon we were outside under the glaring sun. Malik, inside my head, had gone deathly silent. His last words had been, _Elaine, no one- not even Mokuba- is worth this risk._ Since then, there hadn't been a peep, his entire consciousness drawn away from me. All I could sense was fear. Primordial Fear. I hoped he was over reacting and thought lightly, _Poor Malik-baby... Uh, Malik-baby? Hellooo?! You can't leave me all alone with your evil twin. MALIK!!_

"Wait," I said, having reached the tower. "We can't go through the doors, Marik. You'll have to... use magic to break through the wall. Gozaburo will detect us otherwise."

Marik ignored me and continued toward the entrance doors. I jumped forward and grabbed the back of his cape, almost shouting, "Didn't you say we'd do this _my_ way?!"

I dropped the cape immediately as Marik raised his rod. To my relief, he pointed it toward the tower. Before I could warn him not to hit a support beam, Marik snapped his wrist. My hair whipped past my face as part of the tower wall ripped from its foundation. Lazily, Marik waved his hand to the side and the chunk of wall flew past us and landed with a deafening crash on top of a scrap heap nearby. I gulped.

"Any activity?" I breathed into my communicator device, compliments of the KaibaCorps employees. The man who answered sounded relieved, "There you are! We were about to go check on you and Mr. Howard. Are you at the tower?"

In a shushed voice, I said quickly, "Keith's still in Marik's room, send a medic. But yeah, I'm at the tower; the plan's already in motion. Am I clear to enter?"

"Medic..." the man was surprised and I could almost hear the gang behind him gasping and shouting for answers. "Dr. Grey is on his way and the tower is perfectly clear. There's nothing, no spikes in the tower's security grid or changes in the energy flow from the new power source. Mr. Gozaburo has no idea that you're on his doorstep."

When I looked up to tell Marik it was safe to enter, he had already gone inside and I hurried after him. Inside, everything appeared normal. There were no signs of Gozaburo's takeover, or of the trapped repair team.

"Gozaburo's energy source is under the tower," I said softly. Marik smirked, "Won't Kaiba be thrilled." Then he waved the Millennium Rod and the floor shattered. Dirt, rock and concrete were thrown aside as Marik launched a round of magical attacks. Finally he stopped and, when I dared to come up next to him, I saw a dark crater. So far so good.

"Good job," I said automatically. Marik snorted and started walking to the edge of the hole, "Don't even think of staying behind."

I looked at the hole again and realized he was going to jump! "You're mad if you think I'll just drop down there!" Who knew how long of a fall that was? Marik turned back to me and grabbed my wrist. He hissed in a way that told me he was enjoying himself, "Not afraid of the dark, are you?" He began to drag me toward the crater. "Marik - I'll break my legs! Let GO!" I tried to pull free, but the dirt under my feet slid downward. All I managed to do was get _closer_ to the hole itself!

Before I could protest any further Marik grabbed me around the waist. I recoiled instantaneously, "GAHH! What are you-?!" Then he jumped.

* * *

When Kaiba approached the tower the doors had slid open for him automatically. The CEO smirked as he walked up the stairs and boarded an elevator. What a fool Gozaburo was to challenge Kaiba in his own tower, at his own game.

Over the speakers, a sick and peppy song played softly about torture. Kaiba ignored it and when the elevator doors opened he stepped out confidently. "Gozaburo," Kaiba called, his lip curled. "You're more predictable than..."

"Seto! Stay back!" Mokuba cried. Kaiba looked up and resisted the urge to run to his brother. Mokuba was standing on the dueling deck, frozen, his nose was red and his eyes were bloodshot. Obviously he'd been crying the entire time.

Kaiba clenched his fist, making his way toward the deck's stairs. Mokuba cried, "No, Seto DON'T!"

Kaiba froze and saved his life. Just before touching the railing, Mokuba's warning brought his attention to the holo-repair unit. They looked like a trail of ants, spread from the top of the stairs to Mokuba. The entire deck was electrified, sparks jumped from floor panel to panel, the air crackled. Mokuba was untouched, trapped by a ring of electricity surrounded him. Kaiba backed away from the stairs, his blood boiling. "Hang in there, Mokuba. I'll get you out of this."

From the surround speakers, Gozaburo spoke. "A pity you noticed, I was hoping to cook you up as desert."

"You snake," Kaiba choked out. "Do you think you'll win _MY_ company this way?!"

Gozaburo shimmered into existence on the other side of the deck. If Kaiba hadn't known better he would have believed Gozaburo was human. Gozaburo straightened his suit jacket and brushed at his sleeves. "I must say, the skill of your employees impressed me. They repaired each of the holoprojectors in under five minutes." He smiled at his step-son, raised his arms and turned in a circle. "Am I as you remember, Seto?" The man was almost giddy.

"You're insane," Kaiba snapped. "Let Mokuba go."

The former CEO smirked, "Are you suggesting an exchange?"

"Perhaps," Kaiba allowed and he stepped closer to his step-father. "We duel. If you win, KaibaCorps is yours. If I win, I decompile your program. But first you let Mokuba go."

"You haven't changed, Seto!" Gozaburo beamed. Kaiba growled and Gozaburo continued. "Why would I want to duel you?"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed, and Gozaburo continued, "I'm a grown man, Seto. What does it say on those starter decks? Seven and up? Honestly, I was hoping you would have grown out of duel monsters by now... Do you remember _how_ you won my precious company?"

"I stole the loyalty of your stock holders," Kaiba snorted, unfazed by Gozaburo's wild train of thought. "Once I held 51 percent of the company in my name it became mine. So simple, a seven-year-old could do it."

"Touché!" In a flash, Gozaburo was leaning against the railing of the dueling deck, smiling down at the CEO. "Your memory is impeccable, but you left out one crucial detail... shall I add it?" In a blink, Gozaburo was on the other side of the deck and standing behind Mokuba. "It was your _brother's_ stock that won you the company in the end."

He placed his hands on Mokuba's shoulders and the boy went deathly pale.

"Don't touch him," Kaiba ordered menacingly.

Gozaburo chuckled and took a step back. "His was the last two percent you needed. Surely you remember that." Suddenly, he returned to Kaiba's side of the deck. "I suppose you realize what's happening now, yes?"

Kaiba stiffened and Gozaburo laughed. "Come now, my boy! Take a guess. No? Alright then, how about I ask a question? Would that help you figure it out?"

"Ask me your damn question!"

Gozaburo breathed in excitement, "Do I have 51 percent of your heart?"

* * *

Marik was the scourge of the Earth, but during those few seconds in free fall I clung to him for dear life. The entire time I closed my eyes and held my breath. I didn't move until I heard the Egyptian snicker in my ear and I realized we had already landed and I was still clutching him.

I quickly jumped back from Marik and wiped my hands on the back of my pants. Marik laughed and with another wave of his Rod the room was bathed in a golden light. In front of us was a dusty computer that filled an entire wall. I flipped open the communicator. "We're in."

Marik chuckled at the technology he saw. To the right were lockers, probably filled with proto-type weapons. A giant robotic warrior was half hidden in the shadows, wires hanging off its frame and entering into one side of the large computer. It looked like something out of the MechWarrior games. On my left loomed a giant switch board with a single huge cable bursting from its side - it was wider than my head! Other piles of technology were spread throughout the room. Had Gozaburo been hiding this from Seto since before he took over KaibaCorps?

Lights automatically came on as we ventured forward. I could make out support pillars lining the walls - this place had been built to last. Static from the communicator made me jump and a voice came through, "There should be a large computer in front of you. Go to it and... find a way to turn it off."

I snorted, "Great..." Reaching the controls, I timidly sat in the only chair. No traps so far...

Marik surveyed the keyboards and switches with contempt, "Pathetic. Your people long for power and yet they look for it in the most absurd places." I flipped a few switches and pressed some important looking buttons while trying to keep my hands from shaking. Here I was, on the base again, about to face Gozaburo. I could almost hear the sound of the defense machines shrieking through the air...

The computer slowly came to life and when I saw the screen I practically fell over.

"This was the pinnacle of KaibaCorps technology?!" I was in shock. The computer screen looked like an out dated version of Windows. All the files were in easy access and labeled in large letters. I wasn't the most technologically advanced person around, but even my brother could have figured _this_ out!

"Found anything?" the communicator hummed.

With a smile I said, "Don't worry, this is a walk in the park."

After finding the files on main power, I clicked them and gave the computer a simple command: Shut Down. I pressed the enter button but nothing happened. Annoyed I continued to press it. _Don't tell me the computer froze,_ I thought in a panic_._ If I couldn't shut down the power who knew what Gozaburo would do to Mokuba!! Finally the screen changed. I spoke into the communicator with relief, "Gozaburo should be losing power right-"

"And just what do you think you are doing?"

The screen had changed alright... into Noah Kaiba. His face exploded over the screens and his vivid blue eyes stared down at me. Marik, interested, walked over to check out the action.

I had completely forgotten about Gozaburo's lapdog. Of course Noah would be guarding all of Gozaburo's back systems. He could alert his father in an instant that Marik and I were down here. No matter how simple the computer program was, I had no chance trying to out hack a member of the Kaiba family! There was only one option...

"Noah," I said menacingly. "I'm going to shut down your father and save Mokuba no matter what. Do you understand me? So electrocute me or shot lasers at me all you want...!."

"Maybe you _want_ to hear what I have to say," Noah interrupted with a glare.

I blinked, "Wh-what? Aren't you going to...?"

"You were right," Noah growled, and his voice started shaking. His blue eyes filled with tears. "My father isn't doing this for me, he doesn't love me anymore! He promised me everything, but left me with nothing." Noah turned away to hide the tears streaming down his face. "I've been such a fool... The only thing he cares about-"

Marik destroyed the computer with a blast of shadow magic. The controls in front of me short circuited and every one of the screens went dead. Noah was gone.

"Have we finished?" Marik yawned and surveyed the scene with boredom. I whirled around in my chair.

"What is _wrong_ with you?! Noah might have _helped_ us! Now..." I turned away from the Egyptian. Why did I bother?

* * *

"It's quite simple," Gozaburo stated. "I release Mokuba and you willingly hand over your body to me."

Kaiba stared up at his step-father with horror and Mokuba cried, "NO!"

The CEO clenched his fists, "And what will you do with my body?"

The deranged man blinked in surprise, "Why, destroy it. What else?" Kaiba snapped his head up. Gozaburo nodded to himself. "You and your little girl-friend destroyed my only means of entering a new body. So now I've decided to destroy yours instead. As I said: simple."

The electricity ring that surrounded Mokuba sparked more violently and began to close in around the boy. Kaiba's eyes widened, but Mokuba put his arms out. "Seto - I don't want you to die." The boy sniffled.

Gozaburo rolled his eyes, "How pathetic." He turned to his older step-son. "Well, Seto? I'm going to kill a Kaiba... it's up to you to decide which one it will be. Surely an experienced businessman such as yourself is used to making hard decisions." The man's voice had become taunting.

Mokuba looked around wildly at the strings of electricity. Kaiba clenched his teeth, "Alright - you win, Gozaburo."

Mokuba was shocked. "Seto, what are you saying!?"

Gozaburo smiled, "I've waited a long time to hear those words. Goodbye, dearest Seto. You were a better son than Noah, I truly wish you could have been my heir."

"No!" Mokuba said suddenly. "I won't let this happen!"

He furiously wiped his face off with his sleeve. "I promised..." Mokuba shook his head. "Seto, after Elaine and I escaped from the Rare Hunters, I watched Elaine's duel with Effects. A short little kid, even younger than me. Elaine won and afterwards she bought me... ice cream."

Gozaburo glared at the boy. "Do you mind, Mokuba? The _grown ups_ are talking."

"I'm not finished!" Mokuba shouted tearfully. He turned to his brother. "I told Elaine that I could never be that good of a duelist, that I could never come up with good strategies like her. But do you know what she said?"

"Mokuba..."

"She said that a duelist became their best when they were fighting for a dream or... when they were protecting someone important," Mokuba said softly; "The way she protected me from those mind slaves." The boy looked at his brother frantically. "Then you both died! On that base - it was exploding! Everyone was saying we had to leave you behind! AND I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING TO PROTECT YOU!"

Gozaburo said casually, "Touching, a real tear-jerker."

Mokuba stood up straight and looked Gozaburo in the eye, "I couldn't protect my brother then, but I can protect him now." He lifted his right foot over the ring of electricity and began to lower it.

"You do that and you die," Gozaburo threatened. Mokuba spoke steadily, "I know - but if I die, Seto lives."

"Mokuba," Kaiba gasped. "NO!"

Gozaburo was laughing, "You can't be serious."

"Please protect Elaine and the others, okay Seto?" Mokuba grinned at his brother. Then he looked down sheepishly, "I-I'm sorry I cried."

Kaiba no longer cared the stairs were electrified. He no longer cared he wanted to duel Yugi and become King of Games. He forgot he was the CEO of KaibaCorps. Seto Kaiba ran for Mokuba, who let his foot drop and hit the panel.

The boy knew his brother would be safe and he knew Elaine would be proud. _I'm protecting my important person_, Mokuba thought. _If I was in a duel with Gozaburo right now, I'd be the best duelist in the world._

?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?  
Oh dear, it seems I heaped on quite a bit of cheese this chapter. I suppose that's okay when it comes to Mokuba, though... oh... oh-oh snap!! MOKUBA CAN'T DIE!! **sobs uncontrollably** I know I'm not supposed to give away what happens next! But there's no way I could _KILL _Mokuba!! **loud honking noise from blowing nose**

... or ...

Could I?  
**insert evil theme music here** MWA HA HA HA HA HA!! KILL! BWA HA HA HA HA HA!! DIE KAIBA BRAT!! DIE! DIE!! **cut theme music**

Yes, dear readers and reviewers, Mokuba's life hangs in the balance! After making the decision to sacrifice himself for his brother, will the dread event actually occur?

I know what you're thinking!! "Of course, Elaine will save him!" But... the real question you should be asking yourself is: "Would _LEONARD NIMOY'S BUTT_ save him??" Definitely much harder to answer, don't you think? (BTW – that was a Weird Al reference.)  
?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?


	47. SUMMARY

**READER**: Tell me, O wise Silwyth, how will I know the entirety of your story if you rarely update?

**SILWYTH**: As it is for Shakespeare, so it is for my fanfiction. I shall provide a SparkNotes worthy summary for you, my reader.

**READER**: How completely does it cover CROSSOVERS, O sage?

**SILWYTH**: Summaries, my friend, cannot cover every detail. For a real understanding of my story, you must take upon yourself the task of rereading. Through my summary, however, you will gain an understanding of my work and go away fulfilled.

**READER**: Thank you, honest one and giver of intellect. Do you have any last advice for me?

**SILWTYH**: I do. Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.

* * *

CROSSOVERS takes place during the second and third seasons of the _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ 2000 TV series. For simplicity, the super evil Yami Marik will be referred to as "EVIL-Marik" in this summary to avoid confusion. Plain "Marik" is the normal individual – who is still pretty evil, but not psycho.

SUPER LONG DETAILED SUMMARY  
(Chapters 1 - 42)

Elaine Murphy's ten-year-old brother, Zack, talks and thinks about one thing - _Yu-Gi-Oh!_. Elaine avoids the show like the plague (if a ten-year-old thinks _Yu-Gi-Oh!_'s cool it MUST be lame) but because of her brother's rambling, Elaine knows almost everything about it. One Saturday morning, Elaine promises her brother that she'll take notes on the new _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ episode while he's at a friend's house.

The TV goes crazy with green light during the episode and suddenly robed men are chasing Elaine through the alleys of Domino City! After escaping her pursuers, Solomon Moto takes pity on the lost girl.

Through Mr. Moto, Elaine meets Yugi and his friends who determine from her story that her attacker is Marik! Téa hypothesizes that Marik wants Elaine because she is the key to understanding the Millennium Puzzle. When the Pharaoh presses Elaine for information, however, she only loses her temper.

Elaine joins Seto Kaiba's Battle City dueling tournament hoping to meet Marik and face him in a duel. The evening of registration, the Pharaoh learns that Elaine has never dueled in her life and becomes her duel instructor. She learns quickly, but finds herself continually losing to her apt teacher.

During the first phase of the tournament, Elaine tries to pick normal looking duelists but instead becomes kidnapped by the Rare Hunters, Lumis and Umbra, along with Mokuba. At the compound where they're held, the two hostages work together to defeat a Rare Hunter in a duel to secure their freedom.

Once freed, Mokuba cheers Elaine on in her next tournament duel and solidifies their friendship.

After winning enough locator cards, Elaine proceeds to the finals with Yugi, Joey, Mai, Bandit Keith, Weevil, Rex, Bakura, Ishizu, Namu (who Elaine recognizes as Marik), and Odion (who most people mistake for Marik). During the tournament our heroine strikes up friendships with both semi-outcasts Mai and Bandit Keith. Being a more experienced female duelist, Mai becomes Elaine's second duelist mentor and a role model.

Elaine also runs into the stowaway, Shaadi, who attacks her on sight the first night of the semi-finals.

While recovering from Shaadi's attack, Ishizu uses her Millennium magic to transplant Marik's soul into Elaine's body. The EVIL-Marik has broken free and now the "goodish" Marik, henceforth known as Malik (note the L), shares mind, body and soul with Elaine.

Keith Howard faces Elaine in her first semi-final duel, where Elaine loses miserably until Kaiba disqualifies Keith for cheating. Malik reveals himself to Elaine after her duel, and their forced relationship begins. Malik taunts Elaine's friends and dueling moves, while Elaine tries to force Malik into spilling his reason for bringing her to the _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ world.

Noah makes his debut before Elaine's second duel. He captures most of the gang, including Kaiba and Mokuba. Elaine, who stays behind to keep an eye on EVIL-Marik, finds herself teaming up with the bad guy and storming Noah's stronghold. With some extra help from the gun slinging, password guessing Keith - Elaine manages to release Kaiba from the virtual world before Gozaburo, the real mastermind behind the kidnappings, appears and electrocutes her.

While recovering (again), Mokuba visits Elaine and helps her upgrade her deck one last time. Keith also comes to visit the bedridden girl where he learns that she's forgiven him for cheating. He loans her a powerful magic card for the next stage of the finals.

After arriving at Kaiba Island, a six-way duel is held between Elaine, Yugi, Joey, Kaiba, Weevil, and EVIL-Marik to decide opponents for the next round. Elaine aims to duel Kaiba with hopes of winning his Egyptian God Card, but Joey knocks Elaine out of the duel thus forcing her to be matched with Weevil in the first duel. Unfortunately, Malik reveals that Weevil was originally in league with him and during their duel, EVIL-Marik activates a shadow game for Weevil. After a difficult battle, where many bug puns are exchanged, Elaine emerges victorious.

At the conclusion of her duel, the duel tower's systems go haywire with surges of electricity. Gozaburo had transfered his digital mind into the Kaiba Blimp's computer and, once the blimp was connected with the tower, was able to infect the rest of the island. Gozaburo takes Mokuba hostage and Elaine goes on a mission to save her little friend. Keith comes up with a plan, but cannot get into the tower without tripping off Gozaburo sensors. Elaine decides to enlist EVIL-Marik's magic for the cause.

EVIL-Marik tries to kill both Elaine and Keith, but stops when Elaine presents the "good" Malik within her as a bargaining chip. Teaming up for the second time, EVIL-Marik and Elaine go to the tower together, break in, and... you know the rest of the story.

* * *

**READER**: Thank you, great perceptive cognizant one.

**SILWYTH**: Hey, I know the real reason behind that "O wise one" and "O sage" stuff. You just want me to update faster!!

**READER**: Well, it's either that or I threaten you with pointy weapons and copious amounts of boiling oil.

**SILWTYH**: ... uhh ...


End file.
